Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love - Crosswalk the Devotional - May 10

Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love
By Anne Peterson

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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." - Romans 8:38-39

Of all the lies the enemy of our souls tells me, one of the biggest is this: God isn’t with you, you’re in this all by yourself. Satan is really good at being bad. He knows our weaknesses, and he knows when to hit us. Just as he led Jesus into the wilderness, do you remember when he did that? Right after Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John. Right after God publicly declared that Jesus was God’s Son in whom he was well pleased (Matthew 3:16-17).

And what does the enemy tempt us with? It depends on what our need is at the moment. In Jesus’ case, Jesus was tempted with turning stones into bread because he was hungry.

…neither death nor life
As I have stood near graves of my loved ones, the enemy tries to tell me God is far away, and has left me alone. But God tells us that death nor life are not a reason for God’s love to diminish. What comforting words. It is times like those that we need to hold onto truth with both hands, ignoring what our feelings are telling us.

…neither the present nor the future
As I’ve gone through losses, my mind tries to make sense of what I am experiencing. Then it will shift to what my future will look like without this loved one. I cannot fathom how this could ever be a good thing, and at that very moment, I am unable to believe that God could work that circumstance for my good. Any time I try to understand an infinite God with my finite understanding, I come up empty.

…nor anything else in all creation…
While in times of weakness, Satan seems powerful, but God’s Word tells us “neither angels nor demons, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from God’s love.”

God continually reminds me his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts are higher than mine. I remember the day it hit me that God and I must not think alike. I think I heard God chuckle that day.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are in Christ. And those who are in Christ are in God. The Bible tells us when we accept Christ, we are given eternal life and no one can pluck us out of the Father’s hand (John 10:28). Now that’s what I call secure.

Intersecting Faith & Life:
Maybe there have been times in your life when you’ve felt a big gulf between you and God. I would venture to guess that the enemy has tried telling you the same lie. In those times, when it feels like God has stepped back, we need to rely on God’s Word. And when we can’t understand what God is doing, we need to trust God’s character. For God doesn’t lie (Numbers 23:19).

I always get in trouble when I rely on my feelings. Feelings are fickle. One moment you feel one way, but those feelings can change so quickly. Our feelings can’t be trusted.

And yet, when we decide to trust what God has told us in His Word, we have something solid to hold onto. And in those times when we feel a little shaky, we can always reach out to Him. He’s always there, loving us as only God can.

His Hand

I do not understand my life,
It’s difficult for me,
Some questions have no answers,
at least that I can see.

And yet, with every year I’ve grown,
there is a truth that God makes known.
I do not have to understand,
but simply hold my Father’s hand.

Father, God, thank you so much for Your Word. That we can open the pages and read Your love letter whenever we have doubts about what is happening in our lives. We can get grounded in the truth instead of believing what is happening around us. God, thank you for loving us so much and for your promise that nothing can separate us from You. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

For Further Reading:
Read my article on Crosswalk: When God Says “No”
Read Isaiah 55:8-9

Anne Peterson is a poet, speaker, and published author of 16 books. Her most recent book is Always There: Finding God's Comfort through Loss. Anne has published 42 Bible Studies and numerous articles with christianbiblestudies.com. She has been a regular contributor to Crosswalk for seven years. Visit Anne’s website at annepeterson.com and sign up for a free eBook or visit her Facebook page. You can also subscribe to Anne’s YouTube channel where you can watch her recite her poems and share her heart.