Recently, I watched a video about a person’s dogs. One of their dog’s died, so they hung a portrait of her on the wall. The other dog just sat and looked at the picture. Someone commented that “pain is felt by every living thing on this planet.” How true that is. Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
There are all types of troubles and trials and heartaches that affect people today. In I Peter 1:6,7, the Bible talks about “manifold temptations” and faith being tried by fire. Job said, “the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (Job 3:25)
Romans chapter eight describes some of the trials that may befall us:
Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, the sword, death, angels (fallen angels), and powers (powers in high places and powers of darkness), things present, things to come, or height or depth. (See verses 35 and 36) We may see the current troubles and fear for what may be in our future. Trials and troubles may be on every hand. We may feel like we are in a place far away from God, that maybe He has forgotten us. But verse thirty-nine of Romans eight promises that none of these things “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nay, rather, in all these things, “we are more than conquerors.” (See verse 37).
How can we be more than conquerors through all the heartaches, trials, and afflictions of life? The answer can be found right there in Romans chapter eight. There are several contributing factors to our being able to be more than conquerors, even through the hardships of life.
1. We have hope. Romans 8:24, 25 says, “24) For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” What are we waiting for? Verse twenty-three tells us we are waiting for the redemption of our body. If we know Jesus as Savior, we have redemption for our souls right now. But our body still has to live in this sin cursed world and suffer the hard things that come because of the presence of sin in the world.
2. We have help from the Holy Spirit who comforts us in our infirmities, intercedes for us, and takes our prayers to the Father, presenting them in a way that will be acceptable to Him. “26) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27) And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26,27)
3. Because we have hope and the help of the Holy Spirit, we know that everything will be OK in the end. We may not see how things are working together for good now, but, for the Christian, everything will be OK someday. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
4. Everything is working out together for our good because God is using these things to conform us into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse twenty-nine explains, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
5. For those of us who are the called in Jesus Christ, for those who have trusted Him as Savior, there are blessings like justification and glory. “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (verse 30)
6. Nothing can happen to us that God did not allow. No one can have the final victory against us because God is for us. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (verse 31)
What are some ways that God has shown us that He is for us? The answer is in verses thirty-two through thirty-four. “32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
a. He spared not His own Son, but delivered up Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could be saved.
b. He has freely given us all things in Jesus Christ.
c. No one can lay things to our charge, because Jesus stands between
us and the Father as our advocate, and Jesus is righteous.
d. God justifies us.
e. Jesus Christ makes intercession for us.
7. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. “35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (verses 35-39)
Things may be distressing, difficult, frightening, and unpredictable; there me be powers fighting against us; yet, in all these things, we can be more than conquerors because of these seven factors that God has put in place for us. He begins these with hope and ends with love, an everlasting love that can never change and which He will never withdraw.