The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Soul Answers" for Wednesday, 25 January 2017 with Scripture Romans 8:18 I don’t think the sufferings we are going through now are even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us in the future. 19 The creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed; 20 for the creation was made subject to frustration — not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it. But it was given a reliable hope 21 that it too would be set free from its bondage to decay and would enjoy the freedom accompanying the glory that God’s children will have. 22 We know that until now, the whole creation has been groaning as with the pains of childbirth; 23 and not only it, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we continue waiting eagerly to be made sons — that is, to have our whole bodies redeemed and set free. 24 It was in this hope that we were saved. But if we see what we hope for, it isn’t hope — after all, who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we continue hoping for something we don’t see, then we still wait eagerly for it, with perseverance.
26 Similarly, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we don’t know how to pray the way we should. But the Spirit himself pleads on our behalf with groanings too deep for words; 27 and the one who searches hearts knows exactly what the Spirit is thinking, because his pleadings for God’s people accord with God’s will. 28 Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; 29 because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; 30 and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified!
31 What, then, are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up on behalf of us all — is it possible that, having given us his Son, he would not give us everything else too? 33 So who will bring a charge against God’s chosen people? Certainly not God — he is the one who causes them to be considered righteous! 34 Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah Yeshua, who died and — more than that — has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf! 35 Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Trouble? Hardship? Persecution? Hunger? Poverty? Danger? War? 36 As the Tanakh puts it,
“For your sake we are being put to death all day long,
we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.”[Romans 8:36 Psalm 44:23(22)]
37 No, in all these things we are superconquerors, through the one who has loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, 39 neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.
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The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.[Lamentations 3:22-23 (NRSV)]
“Why?” I sobbed into my husband’s arms. A joyous occasion had turned to despair. After a 24-hour labor, our baby boy was dead.
Fifty years later, I still remember the chill of the hospital room, the nurse’s frantic voice, and what the doctor said: “I’m sorry; the baby didn’t make it.” I could not grasp his words. The threads of my mind tangled. For days, months, and years, I was desperate to resolve my loss.
Did I do something wrong? Did the doctor? Did God? How could a loving God have allowed this?
Sadness overwhelmed me. The birth of friends’ babies brought me tears instead of joy. The baby sections in department stores brought me sorrow. Children reminded me of that dreaded day. I continued to mourn the past and to persist in asking questions, though no answers could satisfy my mind. Only prayer and scripture brought answers to my soul — deep, unspoken answers that gave me joy in the midst of sorrow. God’s lovingkindness and compassion sustained me. The memories still bring a tear. But I trust that in divine wisdom, God takes the good and bad in our lives, untangles them, and brings new beginnings.
Read more from the author, here.
"Life Goes On"
It has been more than 40 years since my son was stillborn. I now have two children and 11 grandchildren. On New Year’s Day my oldest granddaughter delighted me with a second great-grandson, Noah James (pictured here). Life can be good, but it's not good all the time.
When Daniel James died at birth, I was a weak Christian. It took a long time of grieving before I realized that I was on a spiritual growth path and that Christ’s love was strengthening my faith.
Through the years, pain infiltrated all areas of my life trying to keep me down. But, praise God, today I am able to say with Timothy, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12b)
My Savior will always be there. This is not the world’s perspective, and often it is not mine in the midst of struggles. But the good news is that when all is said and done, Jesus brings us through and makes us stronger.
Timothy says he suffered because he was commissioned to share the Gospel of truth. We, too, are compelled to share the Gospel. And we, too, will suffer. Most of us will never see jail or chains because of our faith, although we cannot forget many still do around the world.
We may deeply feel the loss of a child or a mother or a job or our health or all sorts of other things that cause us to stumble in our life. It’s at those times we make a choice: allow our loss take over and plunge us into despair, or give praise to the Lord and tell others about God's message. Our struggles can be a starting point for conversation. We need not be ashamed of our pain or of sharing the Lord’s grace and mercy that leads to victory and salvation.
Suffering can draw us closer to the Lord. And it is important to prepare for struggles by studying God’s word, praying, having fellowship with others, and finding other ways to strengthen our faith.
I know God loves me and will never let me down. As Romans 8:38-39 says, “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.”[Pamela Caldwell]
The Author: Pamela J. Caldwell (California, USA)
Thought for the Day: Prayer and scripture reading can sustain me in times of sorrow.
Prayer: Dear Lord, lead us through our grief. Help us to see your light and to remember your love. Amen.
Prayer focus: Those who have lost a child
26 Similarly, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we don’t know how to pray the way we should. But the Spirit himself pleads on our behalf with groanings too deep for words; 27 and the one who searches hearts knows exactly what the Spirit is thinking, because his pleadings for God’s people accord with God’s will. 28 Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; 29 because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; 30 and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified!
31 What, then, are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up on behalf of us all — is it possible that, having given us his Son, he would not give us everything else too? 33 So who will bring a charge against God’s chosen people? Certainly not God — he is the one who causes them to be considered righteous! 34 Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah Yeshua, who died and — more than that — has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf! 35 Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Trouble? Hardship? Persecution? Hunger? Poverty? Danger? War? 36 As the Tanakh puts it,
“For your sake we are being put to death all day long,
we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.”[Romans 8:36 Psalm 44:23(22)]
37 No, in all these things we are superconquerors, through the one who has loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, 39 neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.
-------
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.[Lamentations 3:22-23 (NRSV)]
“Why?” I sobbed into my husband’s arms. A joyous occasion had turned to despair. After a 24-hour labor, our baby boy was dead.
Fifty years later, I still remember the chill of the hospital room, the nurse’s frantic voice, and what the doctor said: “I’m sorry; the baby didn’t make it.” I could not grasp his words. The threads of my mind tangled. For days, months, and years, I was desperate to resolve my loss.
Did I do something wrong? Did the doctor? Did God? How could a loving God have allowed this?
Sadness overwhelmed me. The birth of friends’ babies brought me tears instead of joy. The baby sections in department stores brought me sorrow. Children reminded me of that dreaded day. I continued to mourn the past and to persist in asking questions, though no answers could satisfy my mind. Only prayer and scripture brought answers to my soul — deep, unspoken answers that gave me joy in the midst of sorrow. God’s lovingkindness and compassion sustained me. The memories still bring a tear. But I trust that in divine wisdom, God takes the good and bad in our lives, untangles them, and brings new beginnings.
Read more from the author, here.
"Life Goes On"
It has been more than 40 years since my son was stillborn. I now have two children and 11 grandchildren. On New Year’s Day my oldest granddaughter delighted me with a second great-grandson, Noah James (pictured here). Life can be good, but it's not good all the time.When Daniel James died at birth, I was a weak Christian. It took a long time of grieving before I realized that I was on a spiritual growth path and that Christ’s love was strengthening my faith.
Through the years, pain infiltrated all areas of my life trying to keep me down. But, praise God, today I am able to say with Timothy, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12b)
My Savior will always be there. This is not the world’s perspective, and often it is not mine in the midst of struggles. But the good news is that when all is said and done, Jesus brings us through and makes us stronger.
Timothy says he suffered because he was commissioned to share the Gospel of truth. We, too, are compelled to share the Gospel. And we, too, will suffer. Most of us will never see jail or chains because of our faith, although we cannot forget many still do around the world.
We may deeply feel the loss of a child or a mother or a job or our health or all sorts of other things that cause us to stumble in our life. It’s at those times we make a choice: allow our loss take over and plunge us into despair, or give praise to the Lord and tell others about God's message. Our struggles can be a starting point for conversation. We need not be ashamed of our pain or of sharing the Lord’s grace and mercy that leads to victory and salvation.
Suffering can draw us closer to the Lord. And it is important to prepare for struggles by studying God’s word, praying, having fellowship with others, and finding other ways to strengthen our faith.
I know God loves me and will never let me down. As Romans 8:38-39 says, “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.”[Pamela Caldwell]
The Author: Pamela J. Caldwell (California, USA)
Thought for the Day: Prayer and scripture reading can sustain me in times of sorrow.
Prayer: Dear Lord, lead us through our grief. Help us to see your light and to remember your love. Amen.
Prayer focus: Those who have lost a child
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