Romans 8:31 – What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
Heavenly Father, it’s hard to stand up under the weight of all the grace in this passage. Our hearts dance, knees buckle, and our hands shoot up. Indeed, when we consider your great love for us in Jesus, there’s no justifying our whining and worrying. When we do the mercy-math, all the wonderful things you’ve given us in the gospel far outweigh all provocations, disappointments, and exasperations of life.
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
Since you gave Jesus to us and for us, of course we can trust you for everything else we actually need. Forgive our thinking otherwise. Forgive our discontent, envy, and unbelief.
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has justified us. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
You made and chose us, bought and reconciled us; and now you fully delight in us. Forgive us for giving anybody else’s opinion of us more attention than yours—whether it’s the accusations of the devil, or the meanness of men; the contempt of our shame, or the flattery of the world.
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? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Father, through the hardest parts of life and the most joyful ones, in the crazy-making seasons and the oasis-like breathers, in the stories that vex us and the relationships that test us—you love us, will never leave us, and will finish your work in us. The pressure is off, and the praise is on this August Tuesday. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty name.