“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?. . .Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Romans 8:31-32, 35 (NIV)
How do I know that I can trust God to comfort me? Only by seeing him as he really is. If I think God is out to condemn me,then I’ll never trust him. Yet, the truth is, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32 NIV).
The question is this: will I trust my feelings or the truth of who God is?
Romans 8:34 continues to remind me that God really is for us: “Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (NLT).
Jesus lived, died, and rose again to save me, not to condemn me. When my feelings tell me otherwise, they are lying.
Who is God really? Psalm 86:15 says, “You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (NIV). God doesn’t minimize my hurts, and he doesn’t shame me for my habits. He sees my struggles and it’s as if he’s saying, “I can help you through this.” He is a compassionate God.
The Message Paraphrase says God is the “Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too” (2 Corinthians 1:3–5).
One way to experience God’s love in a tangible way is by surrounding myself with other believers who know, love, and have trusted God. It’s in godly community that I can listen to one another, share honestly, and point each other toward my compassionate, loving God.
To experience true hope, I must see who God really is. Hope begins when I begin seeing him clearly.
In summary:
I can fully trust God because of who He truly is—a compassionate, gracious, and loving Father who is for me, not against me. He proved His love by giving His Son, Jesus, to live, die, and rise again on my behalf, not to condemn me but to save me. My feelings may mislead me, but God’s Word assures me of His faithful love and constant presence, especially in my struggles. He comforts me so that I can comfort others, and I often experience His love most deeply in community with other believers. True hope begins when I see and trust God for who He really is.
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