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The verses in Romans 8 hold the tension between two inevitable truths: bad things — awlful things — will happen. But more importantly is faith, with God’s assurance, God is always active, and faithfully we uphold truth that God is active according to God’s purpose. The verses are filled with comforting words, yet reminding us of our limitations. Life is hard, often frustrating and sometimes ‘downright’ unbearable. We can tell from hearing and reading these words in Paul’s letter to the Romans that they have gone through some deep and long-term continuous suffering. However, in experiences of suffering, the length or circumstances — it is a “Hard Time.”
Regardless of where we are in our faith journey, we can proclaim God’s glory in our worship and through our continual praying for better understanding. The Spirit of God helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words (v.26). God knows there may be times when we are at a loss for words as we pray. It’s a time to be still. “Let go,let God,” for God searches us, knows us, and allows the Spirit to intervene. It is a time for silence. It is a time for wanting. It is a time for renewal in God’s promises. God promises to strengthen us, to give us rest, to take care of our need, offers freedom from sin, answers our prayers, protects us, to be with us, and to work everything out for our good according to God’s purposes.
As the Apostle Paul questions, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (v.35) We see the list of whats. Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword separate us? No external circumstances can separate us. This is not a time to apply temporary fixes to the brokeness of creation. Our wholeness in faith and continuing connection with God demands that we start to look for and remain in long-term, sustainable resolve to our problems. Since we live in the Word of God, nothing is above the love of God, our Creator profoundly found in Jesus Christ. Despite the challenges we face, the unbreakable bond between us and the love of Christ is our wholeness in what God desires for us.
Our wholeness requires a continuing relationship with God. This means when we go through untenable events, we know we can go to God in prayer. For God is always available. We listen in silence, and we adhere to God’s guidance. Take comfort not only because God knows our need, some, and in all that, we cannot be separated from the love of God. And it is not because we simply say that it is. It is so because it is embodied in us. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else is all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord” (v.39). Amen!
Pastor Carole
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