Unfazed

After finally working my way through the Psalms, I started Paul's letter to the Romans because I want to better understand my theology of salvation. Romans has been a faster and less exhausting journey than I thought it might be. Actually, last night Paul was actually downright pastoral! I've been struggling lately with some significant fears and came to the end of Romans 8:

²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will...

³¹ ... If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8, NLT)

I don't know what fear or struggle or worry you may be experiencing, but even if your life is 100% perfect, you probably know someone who could use this prayer.

God, our refuge and strength, thank you for always being ready to help in times of trouble. Thank you for your protection upon our lives, our communities, our nation and our world. Even when it seems the nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumbling, we know your voice thunders, and the earth melts! Thank you for being the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, here among us, our fortress. Thank you for giving us right standing with yourself, through Jesus Christ.

God, we know that your Creation waits with groaning for the time in which it is restored to the fullness it was created to be. We, too, wait with eager hope for the New Jerusalem and glorious freedom from death and decay, worries and fears. Help us to trust your Voice and not succumb to whispers and fears from the Enemy. We know that neither angels nor demons, our fears for today and our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Help us to live in confident assurance of that love and to wait patiently and confidently for deliverance from our circumstances.

Sometimes, God we do not know how to pray. We claim the promise that the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, and that the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Spirit, plead for us. And we plead for all those in this world who are in trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death. We thank you for the release of the journalists in North Korea and pray for the dissident in Myanmar who is to be sentenced this week.

In the strong name of Christ I pray...AMEN.

A final thought....

With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (From Rom. 8, MSG)

(Prayer quotes Psalm 46)