Never Separated from God’s Love

Does it mean [Christ] no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?… I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away… 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

 

We read about God’s love, but sometimes it’s hard to feel it. Bad stuff happens. Families fall apart. We get so overwhelmed by fear and pain, plus the difficulty of our own situation, that we begin to doubt that God’s love exists. We ask: Where is God? Has He abandoned us like so many others have in our lives? Does it mean He no longer loves us when tough things happen?

Remember the night some of you got busted and the madness of county jail? Or the shame we felt after walking up in someone else’s bedroom? Maybe we did drugs to take the pain of shame away. Do these things make it impossible for God to love us? The apostle Paul asked that same question. We should memorize his response because Paul declares that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Nothing. Our sins can’t. Our past can’t. Our being in jail can’t. Our estranged relationships can’t. Nothing can separate us from God’s love.

Think about it. If Jesus didn’t come down off that cross, if He didn’t leave us hanging when He was suffering the most, why would He abandon us now? Jesus’ love is solid. We can count on it.