Romans 8 is one of those chapters in the Bible that I keep coming back to, it gives so much reassurance, from verse 1 we are new creations no longer under condemnation, through to verses 38-39, nothing can separate us from God’s love. Our church notices had an extract from Mark Keown, a lecturer at Laidlaw discussing the relevance of Romans 8 to our lives in this time, it was thought provoking and I know Mark is grappling with this chapter at present
As verses 26 – 31 the nature of our relationship with God is that we are weak, and we need the Holy Spirit’s help, he groans, intercedes for us, the other aspect which comes through is that God has plan for our lives we are predestined to be his children and to do his works. Yet we need to be open to his leading and listen for his voice guiding us
Romans 8 vs. 26 -31 – God who is actively at work in our lives
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray
For as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words,
We struggle to express our thoughts and concerns, yet God knows what we say
His Spirit is our helper, interpreting our thoughts; he ensures that by God we are heard
We are weak, it is not by power or by might, but by the Spirit we can make headway
We are called to seek first the Kingdom of God, as we do God to us will keep his word
We are called not to worry, yet we do, we fret, we delay, God calls come to me, pray!
As we do we can know this, the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words
And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
According to the will of God, and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good
The Spirit is in sync with, and knows God, he stands in the gap for us, and he neither gets weary nor is faint
He constantly intercedes for us, understanding where we are at, yet knowing Gods’ will which is for good
Yet there are times when we face difficulty, when life is a struggle, we shout to God, good you ain’t
Yet God says to us I order your steps, I delight in you, my ways are greater, I am not a God made of wood
I hear, I see, indeed it is I who carries you, in trials you build character, and become a stronger saint
For my purpose is to bring you into completion, those who love me, all things work together for God
For those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined
To be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
I am the God who shapes you, I am the potter, and you are the clay, do not become world conditioned
I have plans for you to give you a future and a hope, do not lose sight of me, I am your heavenly father
I desire that you be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind
For you are mine and I desire that you are shaped to become the firstborn among many brothers
And those whom he predestined He also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom
He justified He also glorified, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
For greater is he, than he who is in the world, o death where is your sting? God knows us from before the womb
He will not let our foot slip, he protects us by his righteous right hand, calms the storms, stops the runaway bus
Who is like him, no one! He alone has the words of eternal life, he will hold us, our enemies he will consume
Trust in the Lord your God; he will bring the good work begun in you to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.
Mark Maffey, October 2007 ©
(ESV)