~ Romans 8:28 ~

On August 28^th hurricane Irene swept through the country and on up towards Maine; never actually maintaining her hurricane status into and through our state.  What her winds amounted to here was for most just several days of inconvenience.  We simply lit the house with candles and flashlights but needed to depend on friends for showers and cooking meals.  (We flushed the commode with pool water.)

Praise the Lord we didn’t need any heat. (I will definitely be looking for a deal on a generator before winter.) With a baby in the house I don't want to be without heat.

Some close friends of ours were en route home to Maine from further south and were getting blocked in and detoured from every direction.  They didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger so in a text I said that I would pray and "jokingly" reminded them that the date was 8/28 as in Romans 8:28 and that even this "will work together for their good." 

So often we tritely quote Romans 8:28 which says “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.” And we think that it will comfort the troubled and hurting.  Often that alone doesn’t comfort anyone unless it’s considered in the context that it’s written.

Romans 8 also says “the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (verse 26) Often we do not know what to pray for when we ourselves are going through a dark trial and when others are heavy burdened as well.  But thank God that He makes intercession for us!  Now that’s comforting!

Also God does not want His children to be in bondage.  Not in bondage to fear, not in bondage to doubts, not in bondage to anything.   Rom 8:14-16 says “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

God's Spirit witnesses to us that we belong to Him and (again) He prays with us for us.  We need not be afraid but simply cry out to Him.

In addition we have the further promise that nothing can sever this relationship we have as born-again, adopted children of God.  Paul said Rom 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, (simply put, "nothing")shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

  Also, He said that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)  So our unbearable pain is nothing compared with the glory that is "Christ in you":

1st    Placing us into a familial relationship
with God as adopted children.

2nd  Making Intercession with us for us.

(With groanings that cant be uttered.)

3rd   Witnessing with our spirit that
we do in fact belong to God.

4th   Assuring us that nothing will ever,

Ever, ever, ever

seperate us from our Heavenly Father.

5th Preserving us as blameless to
appear in His presence in glory,

that His glory will be revealed in
us at His appearing.

                Are you born-again? Have you been adopted into the family of God through faith in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only remission for your sin?  Have you trusted in Christ alone?  Then you can rest assured that all things will work together for your good even when we do not understand the reasons why we suffer we can know that our suffering does not go unnoticed by Him.

                He has a purpose for what He allows… (I feel unworthy to say so because I have dear friends who have suffered and are suffering way more than I ever yet have.  But, nevertheless, it is true.) According to Rom 8:29 one of His primary purposes is that we be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  He accomplishes this purpose through our pain; through the breaking of the self-life so that the life of Christ can be manifest in us.

                As I already stated, He said that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)  So our unbearable pain is nothing compared with the glory that is "Christ in you".

                But it’s important that you maintain your love for the Lord, the promise is to them that love God.  Paul explains (Rom 8:5-8) “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Even in our most difficult times…

“He must increase, and WE must decrease!”

Especially in those times that are most difficult.

“for when I am weak , then am I strong.”

(2 Cor 12:10)

                Hurricane Irene ruined homes, destroyed lives and took lives… none of this is easy, NOT AT ALL EASY!… but we have the comfort and hope of the scriptures to cling to and we have the Spirit of God in our hearts teaching us the scriptures and crying out Abba, Father even when we don’t know what to say and how to pray.