Devotion:
Read Romans 8:18-28.
In Romans 8, Paul is trying to encourage his readers in the face of discouragement. Paul urges them to keep focusing on the glory that lies before them in Jesus Christ. Wait and hope for the fullness of all that God has promised.
While it may be reassuring to hear that God will make sure our lives turn out well, most of the time we don’t really want to have someone else taking charge of our lives. If you’ve ever had someone try to get you to work harder, eat better, or exercise more, you know how frustrating intervention can be. As much as we might like to think we’re smart people, often we’d rather live a second-rate life on our own terms than do better because someone else tried to help us. It seems ridiculous for us to rebel directly against the authority of God in our lives. Often we pretend to follow God’s way while in our hearts we keep our distance from him.
This is the simple point: We are terrible at trusting God to be God. We’d rather manage on our own and mess things up. A well-known author and pastor, Timothy Keller, paraphrases verse 28 this way: God promises to give us exactly what we would ask for if we knew what he knew.
Personal Worship Option:
Gracious God, I give you thanks for all your love and promises. I count on them. I know you are holding me and will hold me forever. For Jesus' sake, Amen.
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