1. If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (Rom.8:31)
2. Since Jesus died for us, who can condemn us? (Rm.8:31)
3. Can we trust God to grace-gift us with everything? (Rm.8:32)
4. Who can bring accusations against God’s children? (Rom.8:33)
5. What can separate us from Jesus’ great love? (Rom.8:34)
Heavenly Father, I love these 5 questions because they’re rhetorical, not trick questions. All the answers are implied and supplied by the Gospel. But here’s a non-rhetorical question: What percentage of your everlasting, lavish, measureless love for us in Jesus do we actually understand and enjoy? I’ll guess 07%, but that might prove to be too generous a guess.
You gave Jesus up for us on the cross—of course we can trust you for everything else we actually need. You created us, chose, bought, redeemed, and delight in us—who cares what anybody else thinks, says, or feels about us? You clothed us in Jesus’ righteousness—so though many may accuse and try to condemn us, it’s just Satan’s futile attempt to undercut our confidence in the Gospel and rob us of our joy and peace.
Father, forgive us for giving any other voice more power over our hearts than yours. Our hearts are your domain and delight, and you are gloriously jealous for them. Thank you. Through the hardest parts of life and the most joyful ones—in the crazy-making seasons and the oasis-like stretches—in the stories that test us and the relationships that break us … you are our Abba and we are your beloved children. You are at work in all things for our good, and you will finish your good and perfect work in us and the whole cosmos Hallelujah and So Very Amen.
