WATCHWORD:
1 So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 For the power of the life-giving Spirit—and this power is mine through Christ Jesus—has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death. 3 We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours—except that ours are sinful—and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 So now we can obey God’s laws if we follow after the Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old evil nature within us. Romans 8:1-4 TLB
36 No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day—we are like sheep awaiting slaughter; 37 but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. 38 For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, 39 or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us. Romans 8:36-39 TLB
Meditation:
Trust Walking
(More on Romans 8)
For 25 years, during the time when I was Dean of Students at the College, I would gather the thirty or so members of my staff, both student and professional, to my home for staff training and team-building. At that time, my home had a generous backyard, that fronted a 3-acre pond, with a rustic, beaten-down path that encircled it. Those gatherings were a lot of fun, but with instructional value. One of the exercises we did on occasion was the Trust Walk, where half the staff was blindfolded and the other half was designated as guides. The route around the pond required the guide to give verbal instructions to their blindfolded colleague regarding directions, steps to take, avoiding tree roots and stones, etc. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Following the Trust Walk we would discuss how we felt about the experience, what we learned about ourselves and the role that each played. It was always viewed as a positive experience.
Okay, that is a poorly camouflaged introduction to the matter of faith and what Paul has written in Romans 8. To begin with, here are some questions to think about:
- How do you feel living under grace?
- How sure are you of the future?
- Is it safe to entrust ourselves entirely to the God of grace?
It could feel a bit like a Trust Walk, or maybe a game when we were younger, “just fall backwards, I’ll catch you.” Huh! Maybe! To entrust ourselves to the free grace of God in Jesus can feel a little like that, relying on Jesus to help us. Question: How comfortable are you living under grace?
Note that this chapter of Romans begins with “no condemnation” by the anger of God and ends with “nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ”. Between those assurances, is your entire being, present and future. Question: How sure are you of your future?
In the website Teaching the Bible, we read about themes that dominate in this chapter. First, there is life in the Spirit, who is named 15 times in verses 1-17. Secondly, there is suffering. Verse 17 is the pivot between the two themes – “And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
So, that final question that we must answer for ourselves — Is it safe to entrust ourselves entirely to the God of grace? We may answer “yes”, impulsively and quickly, yet, we might want to check that against the day-to-day reality of the way we live our lives. After all, Our Lord and Savior knows! So be it.
Short Prayers for Trusting God:
God, trusting You is hard. I have a hard time letting go and letting you take control. I need help releasing my control to You. Help me grow in my trust in You. Amen.
Father, I struggle to trust others, so it’s no wonder I am unsure of my trust in You. Forgive me and grow me, knowing that you have my best intentions at heart. Amen.
God, help me to get my eyes off of the mountain before me and put my eyes on You, the God who moves the mountains. Amen.
— Short Prayers for Trusting God
