It’s been a while eh? I am in a class called Communication of Biblical Truth, which is hands down my favorite of the semester. It has given me the opportunity to study the same passage of Scripture for 2 months in order to prepare to preach on it. It has been a tremendous blessing. I shall try my best to share my process with you..
I feel indebted to Romans 8..at least to verses 18-39. When I was first assigned this passage I rolled my eyes a little. I didn’t want to deal with Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those called according to his purpose.” This phrase has become quite trite among Christian circles. So much so that it hardly seems to offer much comfort anymore. In peoples’ moments of great pain, the last thing they want to hear is that everything is going to be okay. Even devoted followers of Jesus Christ do not want to be told in their grief that Jesus is all they need. Even though it’s true, it’s certainly not a love-filled response. People who are forced away from their current suffering because those around them are afraid to get a little messy won’t feel loved. And who can blame them?
As soon as I dove into Romans 8 I noticed something very interesting about it. Verse 28 isn’t the main idea at all. The crux of Paul’s message is not future glorification. He does not argue that God’s children will become conquerors through their focus on the glory that awaits them. What he does argue is that in the past, present, and future, the love of Christ was evident, is evident, and will be evident. What he does argue is that through the love of Christ, we can conquer the very things that seem to conquer us.
In the past, God set in place a perfect plan-a perfect plan to meet our needs (18-25).He oversaw the subjection of creation to futility. He planned for the presence of Jesus Christ on earth. He planned to lay redemption’s foundation through his Son’s death on the cross. What a communication of love it is when plans are set in place to meet the needs of others. It’s like those mothers..you know, the ones who plan ahead for everything? When told it’s going to rain, they plan for tsunamis. When going on an outing with their kids, they pack the car with extra sets of socks and shoes, bottles of SPF 70, and bulging fanny packs of First Aid supplies (proof I grew up in the 90’s). I have many memories of looking at my mother as if to say “what in the world are we going to need all this junk for?!” But her response was always “you never know, Liann”, and oftentimes I would have to take my foot out of my mouth after using her survival tools on the injuries I never foresaw. When my mom planned ahead, there was an aspect of love she displayed in desiring to meet my needs-even before I knew they existed. God did the same with us.
It’s amazing to me how strong we Christians think we have to be. Believe me, I am first in line to include myself in this. We’ve sub-consciously begun to assume that facades are mandatory. We don’t know how to live without them. I’m not sure where we get these ideas from Scripture, because all I see is open arms. Even in our weakest moments, the Spirit bids us come (26-27). He never demands that we get our act together or at least put a smile on before approaching his throne of grace. He tells us to come as we are- with all the grief and pain and sorrow and anger and confusion and bitterness and sin. Our God is big enough, yet oftentimes we treat him as though he can’t handle it..I would never approach one of my closest friends and demand that they solve my problems. I would never expect that of them, and I’m old enough to know that’s not how life works. Easy answers to deep pain are practically non-existent. What I would hope for from a close friend is their presence with me. I would want them to listen. I would want them to seek understanding. I would want them to meet me where I was and not force me to snap out of it. Isn’t it beautiful that this is the way that the Spirit deals with us? So often we come before him demanding tons of answers that we miss his love for us in that pain that we have. We miss the fact that he’s there, praying earnestly for us according to the will of God. We miss that he is there the whole time, and that he delights in being able to comfort his children through his patient presence that always understands. Oh the deep, deep love..
Of course, as sons and daughters of the King, there is a future glory in the Kingdom that awaits us. He will be our God, and we will dwell with him. He will wipe our tears from our eyes and do away with suffering. He will make all things new, and this will give purpose to our pain. There is a future glorification that will undoubtedly blow us away. There will be no more need for metaphors as we will fail to compare it to any earthly thing we have known. And to think that forever this will be our reality...we have been, we are, and we will always be loved. I like that in verse 35 Paul lists several physical needs that could potentially sever earthly relationships. Distress, persecution, danger, these are all things that could separate us from the love of people. People check out when things get tough. People always see escape from relationship as an option. But as it is written, “nothing shall separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Nothing is great enough. Nothing has enough power. No sin has enough evil or can do enough damage. Oh Father, your love is strong.
In people’s most painful moments, we have got to stop assuming that a quick fix or snippet of advice is what they are looking for. Isn’t it amazing how empowered people can feel about their pain as soon as they know that they are not alone in it? People don’t feel alone in their pain when others agree to meet them there. In doing so, we are given the opportunity to be the hands and the feet and the voice of Jesus Christ. We can fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions through our ability to be tangibly present with those who are entrusted to us. Our job is not to rate their pain and decide whether or not their reactions are rational. Instead, we are given the privilege of entering into a place of great depth with another-one whom the Father has given to us and asked us to love. It is such a gift, really, to be trusted with such a high calling. And there is no reason for us to assume that loving people is something that comes naturally to us. We have got to stop assuming that loving people is something we know how to do.
Hallelujah, Jesus is all we need. But as he is currently teaching me through very dear friends, part of him is in them. We cannot separate God from his body. We are his, bound to him by his past, present, and future love. And we have been entrusted to practice this love on each other. Blessed we are indeed.
Learn to love. Live loved.
Blessings.
