Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers….
I have several books that talk about praying the scriptures for your children, books which recommend personalizing the scripture by putting in their names and the specific circumstances you are praying for into the scriptures you are praying. Those books came to mind when I read Romans 8:38-39 this morning, but more for me than for my children. I will tell anyone, unequivocally, that God loves them fiercely, that nothing they do—nothing—can ever change His mind about their worth and value to Him. And I mean it sincerely. But somehow, my caustic inner critic says the same does not apply to me. I know that that is a lie. Jesus, Help me.
Romans 8:39 …neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So, what if I claim and personalize these verses in Romans? It might look something like this: For I am convinced that neither my errant thoughts nor my awkward actions, neither my insecurities nor my worries, neither my missteps nor my failures, neither my good intentions nor my missed opportunities, nor anything else in all creation, will change my Savior’s deep, fierce, merciful love for me. Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 43:1b “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the truth of Your unwavering love. We all have our quirks, Lord, our insecurities, our worries. We all struggle with feelings that love is conditional and that one mistake on our part could cause You to turn away, but we are Your deeply loved children, Lord. You have claimed us. You are with us. We are Your beloved. Help us, always, to believe, to trust, to live that truth. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.