Author: Christine Wyrtzen

No, in all these things (tribulation, distress, famine, nakedness, danger & sword) we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.  Romans 8:37

What does it mean to be a conqueror?   To be a conqueror of suffering?  This verse might lead me to believe that by doing ‘something’, I can get rid of the suffering.  Is there some magic prayer, or the reciting of a series of verses, that will eradicate tribulation, danger, and distress?  What do I do when I’m afraid of the future?

Only time with God and getting older has revealed the meaning of this promise. I’ve finally learned that what God is enabling me to conquer are the temptations that come along with suffering; i.e. despair, hopelessness, the feeling that God has forsaken me, and every other sort of bad theology that is usually embraced when trials come.

What is the weapon God makes available to me to ensure that I will come out of suffering with my faith in tact?  The Word of God.  It is a rudder which keeps my head on straight when my heart is on the roller coaster of life.  Good theology is a necessity.  Solid beliefs about God and His sovereignty are my anchors in the storm.  While my emotions are tossed around like a twigs in a tornado, God’s promises to hold my beliefs in check.

The forces of pain and the voice of the accuser are just too strong a force when they come against me in a weakened condition.  God is a strong tower that prevents my defeat.  When I cling to every Word He speaks, His arms hold me fast.  I can conquer every mental and emotional frailty.

The three men in the fire were not singed.  You were there standing in their midst.  No matter what I may suffer, Lord, keep the flames from touching the borders of my faith.  Amen

Journal Question:  Over what situation have you given up today?  Pinpoint the exact reason why.  Does it boil down to faithlessness?  Would you be willing for God to stir the embers of faith through the power of His Word and His love?  Talk to Him about it.  Eventually, despair leads to anger, then a cold war.  Who do you have in heaven besides God?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  Romans 8:35

My love for Christ has often been corrupted by tribulation, distress, persecution, danger, and sword.  In my spiritual immaturity, love waned because of my wrongful judgments against Him.  When painful times rolled over me, my distrust of Him spread like a cancer.

But my love for Christ is not the ‘love’ Paul is talking about.  It is His love for me.  Even though I pull back in fear, His love is ever present and engaging.  Even though I pull back in distrust, His love continues to woo and build trust.

When I have allowed tribulation to erode my love for Jesus, it was only because I did not understand God’s sovereignty.  I could not see His panoramic view of my life and how stunning it is for His glory.  With limited vision, I threw stones at His perceived plans for my life and told Him that He was doing a pretty lousy job of loving me.

Christ’s love for me, the kind that does not ever diminish when the world falls apart, is a love I have to take by faith.  When I see no evidence of it, faith must live.  When I stand in glory and meet Jesus face to face and I get to review my life with glorified spiritual understanding, I will fall to my knees forever, never again doubting His love.

Jesus Loves Me This I Know – is the most important song we have ever learned.  It needs to play like a broken record in the rooms of our heart when anger and doubt are first present.  How do we know Christ loves us?  Because the Bible said so.  If ever there were a promise to stand upon, this is at the top of the list.

I have been so childish, Lord.  I’m still embarrassed by that.  When life was good, I said… “He loves me.”  When life was bad, I said… “He must not love me.”  I vow to never let tribulation rock this assurance again.  Amen

Who is to condemn?  Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed in interceding for us.  Romans 8:34

These are Paul’s words for any child of God who doubts that they are really God’s children.  Is that you?  Maybe the severity of your sins makes you doubt.  Or, maybe you are in a spiritual desert and your experience of Christ is absent.

If you once came to Calvary, acknowledged your sin, asked God to save you ~ and then embraced Jesus to the point that you became His disciple for life ~ you are His child.  No sin can ever condemn you.  No spiritual desert can erase your place in God’s heart and His future kingdom.  Why?  Jesus died for your sin.  Jesus rose again and proved that He was the Christ and His atonement was valid.  Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God and His ‘sitting’ position means He finished what He came to earth to do.  His work of atonement is completed and nothing can undo that.

The priests in the Old Testament never finished their work.  Day after day, and year after year, they labored to perform their religious duties, even performing the same sacrifices over and over again because the Lamb of God had not yet come.  There were no chairs in the Jewish temple, no sitting.  Only working.

Many scriptures reveal that once Jesus ascended to His Father, God gave Him the seat of honor and glorified Him.  Jesus finally sat down and rested.  His seated position proves his statement from the cross when He said, “It is finished.”  He is resting just as God rested after the seven days of creation.  His work, then, was also finished.

I know that I belong to Jesus, now and forever, because He is seated at God’s right hand.  His work on my behalf was completed on a cross, was proven by an empty grave, and is now reinforced by his seated position.  I do not miss the power of this subtlety.  If my sin were not forgiven, if I was not justified and perfect in His sight, Jesus would still be working.

Everything that you did for me is completed.  The legal judgment of ‘not guilty anymore’ was rendered at the cross.  Nothing, not even my greatest failure, can undo that.  You are resting so I can rest in my salvation.  Amen

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will be not also with him graciously give us all things?  Romans 8:32

Do I believe that God is gracious and that his generosity has no limits whatsoever?  While I may know that God gave me what was most precious to Him, His only Son, I can still believe that God is a withholder.  When I perceive there’s something I really need and God fails to provide it, I can question His generosity.  Yes, God gave His Son but perhaps that’s all He ever wanted to give to me. Am I presumptuous to ask for something in addition to my salvation?

Complicating this is the fact that I often ask for what is not good for me.  I don’t know that at the time that I ask for it, but God does.  He says ‘no’ and it can feel cruel.  In my 60+ years of living with Jesus, there are things I have begged God for.  He took nearly 30 years to grant one of them.  When He did, His glorious light broke through brilliantly.  Only in hindsight can I see that He was gracious when He withheld.  This review strengthens me for the next battle of faith.

Each of us has unanswered prayers.  God’s generosity is perhaps in question.  As one who has survived some dark nights and enjoyed some brilliant spiritual mornings, let me put my arm around you and encourage you by telling you that God is passionate about you and what you need.  Whatever He gives, or withholds, His generosity is still in motion.  He longs to be gracious to you and is, in fact, doing so at this very moment.

Be careful that an enemy who preys on the vulnerable does not extinguish your faith.  Decisions made in pain are usually bad ones. Satan knows that and will suggest that God is mutinous when it appears you have solid proof of it.  God’s character is not changed by circumstances or my accusations.

Nothing is too much to ask of God.  Ask.  And while you wait, know that extravagant grace is crafting your answer and your provision.

In a world that gives its sons and daughters away carelessly, you gave your Son, the One most precious to you.  I pray this assurance goes deep into my heart.  Amen

What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Romans 8:31

Who is against me?  The enemies of Christ – which are the world, the flesh and the devil.  All three appear formidable.

I am valued by God.  He has given me gifts to use.  Yet real enemies in the form of the world, flesh, and devil undermine me on a daily basis.  I am caused to question my value and my gifts are ridiculed, minimized, or ignored.  Can they defeat God’s purposes for my life?  Sometimes it appears that they do and if I doubt God’s power, I fear that they are winning.

The world (who rejects Christ) is also against me because I love the One they stand against.  Those who are really offended by Him are also afraid or offended by me.  I have extended family members, still unbelievers, who bristle at any mention of Christ.  When with them, there are no questions asked about Daughters of Promise, my work, my heart, and what I may be reading or learning.  I can be loving and attentive to them and their needs but Christ stands between us no matter how gracious I may be.

The flesh is also my enemy; the flesh in me and the flesh in God’s other children.  When I love what God hates and want my own way, my own flesh becomes the enemy to God’s best plans for my life.  When others love what God hates and want their own way, their flesh becomes the enemy to God’s best plans too.  Many churches have attempted to destroy a righteous man because their flesh took over.

The devil is also my enemy.  He is a scheme-weaver; ever busy trying to undo the potential of God’s children at work for the kingdom.

If I take the world, flesh, and devil and put them all together – and weigh them against the person and power of God, there is no contest.  If I ever feel that people have destroyed my life or have ultimately kept me from God’s purposes, I can rise up to hear good news today.  Nothing and no one can win against God’s sovereign purposes for my life.  If I am following Christ, am prayerful and trusting, even the greatest setback is not going to ruin my future.  Though it appears like I have been defeated, God is working behind the scenes to accomplish what I was born to do.

When Satan wages his best, thinks he’s succeeded and dusts his hands off and declares, “That’s that!” ~ I can know that God is preparing a word, an intervention, and a series of events that will bring a stunning new reality into view.   I remember that the cross appeared to be Satan’s greatest moment of victory.  In reality, the cross was God’s idea and Satan was a pawn in the greater plot of redemption.

I rest in the cradle of your power.  Amen

And those whom he predestined he also called.  Romans 8:30a

I do believe in predestination but not in limited atonement.  Christ’s death on the cross was for everyone.  The call is universal and it is sounded out to all men and women.  Jesus showed us the way to heaven, revealed that He is the door, and then announced that He is the Light of the world, but men have always loved darkness rather than light.  Instead of the Light being attractive, we are repelled by it.  Christ is just not desirable to us.  His light is too bright and we shield our eyes from His brilliance and turn away.

So, who will believe if all people love darkness?  The ones God specifically calls; the ones whose eyes are opened to see His glory.  Ah, this call is personal.  This call came to us by name.

Whenever God speaks a word, it is effective.

God spoke a Word and this dead planet began to pulsate with life.  What once looked like Mars began to grow green.

God spoke a Word to a dead man, a decaying man, wrapped up like a mummy, and this man came to life.  His body regenerated.  “Lazarus, come forth!” was the call.  God’s Word produced life out of death.

God spoke a Word, called my name, and I was awakened out of spiritual death.  The call prompted me to turn and look into the face of Christ.  I understood His message of salvation and believed.  If He hadn’t spoken to me and opened my eyes, I would have continued on my death march.

Nobody knows whom God will call.  Because of that, my heart reaches out to God in prayer for those who haven’t yet heard their name spoken by God.  Now, Christ is still unattractive to them, even repulsive. Once God calls their name, they will never be the same.

The call is powerful like an exposing.  It transformed a brutal murderer into a zealot.  The Damascus road was the place it happened.  Paul was the man.   I know this transformation, too.  Don’t you?  The longer I live near Jesus and soak in His Words, the more I cease to know the old me.  You’ll never know how many times I read old journals and respond out loud, “What was your problem, Christine?” 

The call is to a new life.  Run, don’t walk, to Calvary if you are hearing your name whispered in your soul.

Oh, always speak, Lord.  I love how You speak to me.  Amen

Under what conditions could I say to someone who hurt me, “Don’t be upset with yourself because you hurt me. God’s wonderful plan eclipses all of it.” Oftentimes, I can see some good that God has brought out of brokenness but I still want the one who inflicted harm to remember and live in regret!  Joseph, though, had a kind of mercy that wanted his offenders to know joy after remorse.   (And remember that Joseph first tested them to know if remorse was present.)

Perhaps I don’t really understand what it means when God promises that all things will work together for my good. My good is supposed to be synonymous with His good. I have been called according to His purpose. Joseph wasn’t brought to power to compensate for the pain he suffered. The story wasn’t about Joseph but about God’s plan to save His people. Joseph was privileged to play a part in God’s redemptive story. Joseph’s goal was not to receive validation from old family biases.

I am considering the largest wounds of my life. I can think of two. Has God worked things together for good? Yes. But have I interpreted Romans 8:28 to include my own vindication? Or, do I see that the wounds I sustained were for God to bring about a larger plan of redemption?  I can edify the church.  I can bring wisdom to the next generation in my family so they can secure their spiritual calling. The possibilities are limitless for what ‘called according to His purpose’ means.

I must love God more than myself. I must realize that I’m not the point of my own story. I will wait forever to see things work together for good if I think God is going to reward me now for what I’ve suffered, if I believe that God is going let me see justice now for the evil done against me, and/or if I feel entitled to vindication now. Today, yet again, I offer Him my story for inclusion into the narrative of the kingdom.

The miracle of Joseph’s story was not that he was promoted to power in Egypt. It was the stunning work of grace, humility, and wisdom brought about as he waited for redemption. Not visible to human eyes, Joseph and God dialogued, wrestled, communed, and birthed a faith that not only forgave a family of wrongdoing but also made it possible for them to live in the joy of God’s extravagant mercy.

In whatever ways my perspective needs more truth, bind my mind to Yours, Lord. Amen

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are call according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.  Romans 8:28-29

There are unfortunate misrepresentations of this verse. Mostly, it’s used as a glib cliché, handed out like an adult might hand out penny candy to placate a whiny child.

This promise is a gem but because of its misuse, I feel a negative impact as soon as I hear the reference.  I don’t even need to hear it recited to feel the dread. Isn’t it time to lift the real message high?

The ‘good’ Paul describes does not mean that all will be made right and fair in my lifetime.  The ‘good’ is what the next verse addresses, that God will work all things; evil, sickness, and failure to conform me to the image of His Son.  I miss that entirely when I don’t read on in the text.

In my experience, these are a few examples of how Romans 8:28 is dispensed as spiritual medicine.

• Have you been betrayed and have you suffered unfairly?  God will make it up to you by exalting you and dealing with your enemies here and now.
• Have you lost your job?  God will advance you and give you a better one with higher pay.

Oftentimes, God does advance His children through the path of adversity.  Look at the life of Joseph.  But when I quote this verse to someone who is experiencing hardship, I am really telling them this ~  “If you love God, God will use this ‘crushing thing’ to make you more like Jesus.”  Do I really want to say this to someone who is hurting?  This is almost an insult.  My inference is that they are not like Jesus so this misery is being used to shape them up.

Romans 8:28-29 is a beautiful promise but a personal one.   They are words  to treasure but few are the friends who can quote them to me when I’m  down.  It may be just one or two kindred spirits who have gained this kind of credibility.

I do want to be like Jesus.  I am more motivated to see my suffering as something that will help me think and feel like Him and live a life that will glorify His father in good times and bad times.  That desire changes the face of all my adversities even while I’m weeping.

Thank you for bringing something beautiful out of ugliness, even if it’s the transformation of my own countenance.  Amen

Save

For in this hope we were saved.  Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  Romans 8:24-25

Those who live without Jesus hope for things they cannot see and have no assurance of ever getting.  “I hope I get picked for the team.”  “I hope things work out okay.”  “I hope I will be loved today.”  These are uncertain.  It has been said that a seven-year-old child has already learned whether or not to dream.  To the degree he has been disappointed in life, his courage to hope is compromised.

Children of God also hope for things they cannot see but what they hope for already exists.  They have a Father who has promised it.  They hope for heaven; knowing it will be there when they take their first gasp of celestial air.  They hope for deliverance; knowing that there will be one whether on earth or in heaven.  They hope for healing; knowing that the Healer is vested in them and will provide it.  They hope for redemption; knowing that no pain is ever wasted.  Why?  God said so.

Waiting patiently is not passive but pro-active.  In order to keep hope alive (and keep the lies of hopelessness at bay), I must be reviewing the promises of my Father.  I read the stories of my spiritual ancestors and their similar dark times in order to be reminded how God was faithful.  I find scriptural promises that relate to my struggle and live in the hope of them, knowing that promises are a sure thing because of “who” it is that made them.  I hang those promises on my mirror, on my walls, and post them in a prominent place in my car.  This is the fight for faith.

Loss, grief, betrayal…these all visit the lives of Christians and non-Christians alike.  Though weeping visits us all, the nature of our tears differs greatly.  The laments of God’s children are temporary and though they cry, they cling to the robes of their Prophet King and recite the promises of His good will.  Resolution of the heavenly kind is just around the corner.

If I harbor disappointment today in any area of my life, it is only because my deliverance has not yet come.  I know it will and my hope is sure in You.  Give me grace while I wait.  Give me strength to fight for my faith by speaking Your Word to the lies of my own soul.  Amen