Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As much as I love the Bible and the richness of it’s ancient text, there are times when I need the Word to specifically, and directly speak to my present situation. I love to hear the old stories, but when I’m in trouble, I need to know how that relates to what I’m going through right now. With the complexities of life so powerfully pressing upon our spirits and minds, it’s imperative that every Believer have scriptures in their hearts memorized for use in troubled times. Romans 8 is my “GoTo” chapter, and verse 37 (Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us) my “GoTo” verse. Let me tell you why.
As saved as I may try and be, there are times I’m challenged to hold fast to my faith. Not that I stop believing, hoping or praying, but as King David said, But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Psalm 73:2-3 So, as much as I try and walk with the Lord, there are times I wonder if he’s still walking with me.
And as weak as that sounds, it has scriptural precedent. All you have to do is go to verse 36, As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” The Romans author quoted from Psalm 44. This is a must read. It was a major gripe: in fact, real close to an accusation. On one hand the psalmist praised God for what He had done in days of old. But then he lets loose with a barrage of comments that sound a lot like complaining; but I think we all can identify.
I can’t tell you how many times I pondered the question, why me!?! I didn’t expect to hurt this bad for simply trying to do good. I don’t remember signing up for this level of torment. I knew I had to go through some things. I’m a soldier. I expected to take a hit every now and then; but to feel abandoned by the very person that called me in the first place seems unbearable. Lord you called me. You appointed me. You anointed me. And I look around and it appears you’re gone too. That one’s hard to handle. But as I once again refer to my GoTo verse, it all becomes a bit clearer.
Watch this. It’s true that we are experiencing inordinate struggles and unprecedented pain. It’s correct we may have it more difficult than folk from other times, places and spaces. And yes, very often it appears we are like sheep being lead to the slaughter. But there’s context for our predicament. We are not normal. God has made us something else. We are more than conquerors.
Allow me to explain. In normal times, the Lord could send out ordinary soldiers to fight a conventional battle. These soldiers would be equipped with the latest state of the art equipment. They would be prepared, trained, steadfast and competent. They would be the definition of conquerors. And in normal times, they would successfully win every battle.
But these aren’t normal times. Conventional weaponry and traditional warfare is not the order of the day. Today, God needs something different. This world is in need of folk that can praise God without the benefit of comfort. We needs intercessors that can pray for others when their lives are in ruin. We need warriors that lay hands on the sick, while their own bodies are experiencing pain. These are special forces folk. God is calling for end-time, Kingdom minded soldiers willing to fight even when it appears all is lost. Folk that don’t need everything going right to still hold on to the faith. These are not merely conquerors. These are more than!
God bless
