Last Sunday evening, Dave spoke from Romans 8:26-39 TNIV. At the end of a month where we have focussed on God’s ability to heal, it is always good to remind ourselves of the source of our healing. God is the source of life itself to us and it is He who leads, guides, and protects us throughout our whole lives. He alone is our provider and our comforter in whatever situation we find ourselves.
Like Linus with his security blanket, we all need something to help us feel safe and secure. Many of us seek security in our families, through our friends, through our health, through financial stability and other things… but all these things can be taken away from us swiftly (as in the case of Job). We need to understand that God is our ultimate source of security and help.
In this passage, Paul reminds us that if God is for us, who can be against us? He reminds us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. He reassures us that God works for our good in every single circumstance of our lives.As Christians, we believe that our destiny, and the destiny of this world, is not ultimately in our own hands, nor is it in the hands of world leaders, advanced technology, pension plans, or health foods. No, as Christians we believe that our ultimate destiny, and therefore our ultimate security, is in the hands of God. We believe in the providence of God. We believe that God, in His divine wisdom and goodness and love, holds the future in His hands. We believe that God’s will in human history, as well as in our own lives, will ultimately be done.
This is not to say that bad things don’t happen to God’s people. They definitely do. Paul himself experienced many bad things (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 TNIV and Phil 1:18-21 TNIV). But even in the face of all this suffering, this world and our lives are in the loving hands of God, and God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us. Even though we may face terrible things, the ultimate will of God will be good; it will be life and salvation, not evil and death.We may not always see, or recognise, or know, the good that comes from the bad in our lives. Nor do we simply sit back in passive stoicism, waiting for good to come. We try to do everything in our power and wisdom to live in line with the will of God and be one of God’s agents in bringing about, in this world, the good that God promises. We pray for people in need. We ask that God will heal them. We come in faith and trust to the One who has promised to listen to our prayers. We pray in the absolute confidence that our God can, and often does, heal in response to the prayers of His people. And we continue to walk by faith and not by sight because we trust in the goodness of God’s character.
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”
That promise is our anchor in this troubling and confusing world.