Last updated on November 26, 2024
Another one of my favorite passages is found in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. I’m again going to share from The Message.
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us – set us right with him, make us fit for him – we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand – out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary – we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Romans 5:1-5
Here’s why I’m encouraged by this passage.
As we looked at yesterday, it is through Christ that we have been set right with God. This was the plan all along – for us to work alongside God in his act of reconciling to himself all things.
I love the imagery of throwing open our doors to God. It’s saying, “Here I am.” But when we do that, we see that he’s already made the first move towards us. And where we find ourselves in that moment is a wide open space marked by God’s grace and glory. We’re safe in this space. We’re free in this space. We’re loved in this space.
Here’s where it gets really good though.
It’s one thing to praise God when things are going well and when we sense his presence. But what happens when there is struggle? Loss? Pain? Confusion? Suffering? How do we respond then? We can acknowledge even then that we’re still in that wide open space with God. God has not left us. God is still at work.
It’s in those moments, more so than when things are peachy, that we develop perseverance. Grit. Fortitude. Patience. And it’s not simply perseverance for perseverance’s sake. No, this perseverance develops in us character, or, as it’s stated above, “the tempered steel of virtue.” Suffering can cause us to lose hope, but when we go through this process, it can also lead to a sustaining hope.
And it’s in that moment, after we’ve come out of the darkness stronger, that we realize how much God truly loves us and takes delight in us.
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