It’s Thursday morning at 6:00 am, and this week has been excruciatingly long! It seems like it should be Saturday, but instead I still have two days left in the work week. I don’t even know what has made it so long.
Last night, it was 8:00 when I finally finished work and wrapped up everything I needed to do. I spent my day fighting chronic pain and working way beyond my normal quitting time, only to come home to three children who needed mom. Oh. And two of them were writing essays and thought “blogger mom” should help them.
And I did not have a drop of energy to give them.
I was done. Escape to my room and pretend they don’t exist done. Curl up in a ball and cry done. Draw a hot bath and soak done. (Except one of my children used all the hot water…)
As I woke this morning, I grabbed my phone as I always do. I flipped through my morning devotions that come through email. I opened my Bible app as I thought, “I don’t even want to read my Bible this morning. I’m only going through the motions.”
Then, I began to read my daily reading.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2
Thank you, Lord, that there is no condemnation in you. What joy to celebrate your freedom!
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. Romans 8:9-10
Thank you, Lord, that your Spirit lives in me, giving me life even when I am so exhausted I can’t keep going.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:18
Thank you, Lord, that you see our sufferings, that they are nothing more than preparation for your great plans for us.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:26-28
Thank you, Lord, that when I am exhausted and drained and have nothing to pray that your Holy Spirit himself is interceding for me, pleading for me to be in harmony with your will. You know that is my heart’s desire. Thank you that I can trust you to work every hurt and every pain for good. I’ve seen it happen, and I trust you.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 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. Romans 8:31-34
Thank you, Lord, for the precious reminder that even though people—people who claim to be your children—throw some horrible, painful words at me, You justify, You condemn. No one else. Thank you that I can know that You are for me and I walk forward knowing that I am justified in You because of the blood of my Savior Jesus Christ.
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? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
NOTHING can separate me from you! NOTHING! No words. No trials. No exhaustion. No bad attitudes. NOTHING can separate me from you! There is no greater joy than to know that you, my Savior, are here with me. Nothing I face on this side of heaven can keep you away. You are here with me, in every moment, in every situation.
I can take a deep breath and face yet another day because you are with me. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being with me in every moment of every day. Today is yours. Sustain me. Lead me. Carry me. I cannot make it without you.
Read the entirety of Romans 8 in any translation you prefer at BibleStudyTools.com!
