God Is For Us
So what should we say about this? If God be with us, no one can defeat us. He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one, because God is the One who makes them right. Who can say God’s people are guilty? No one, because Christ Jesus died, but he was also raised from the dead, and now he is on God’s right side, begging God for us. Can anything separate us from the love that Christ has for us? Can trouble or problems or sufferings or hunger or nakedness or danger or violent death? As it is written in the scriptures: ‘For we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.’ But in all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us. Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)
The question is not simply, “Who can be against us?” You can easily answer that one. Who and what is against you? It only takes a moment for a pen in the hand of a pastor to begin making a list. Tiredness, exhaustion, weariness, loneliness, isolation, abandonment, frustration, fear, and rejection, are just a few things that could describe how many of us feel in ministry. Add to that, the feeling of failure as a spouse, parent, pastor, and leader. When Paul asks the question, “Who can be against us?” we could list our foes and daily enemies without hesitation. However, this is not what Paul is asking. The real question being asked is, “IF GOD IS FOR US, who can be against us?”
As ministers we so often fall into the trap of allowing our current situation to distort the lens we see God through and skew what God tells us in His Word. We read this text in most cases as, “When everyone and everything in life is against me, I hope God is with me.” Though it seems like he’s asking a question, Paul is actually declaring, “GOD IS FOR US!” He then follows it up with a question to give us clarity on who we should be worried about, “Therefore who or what can stand against or stop us?”
Pastor friend, God is for you. People may have hurt you, disappointed you, rejected you, abandoned you, lied against you, ghosted you, and more. The pain is real. The hurt and disappointment is real. The “I want to throw in the towel and quit” is real. The emotions are real.
However, the declaration being made is one of an absolute promise from God directly to you as his faithful servant. Not “maybe” not “has been” not “was” not “might be” but “GOD IS!” God is for you. God and the armies of Heaven are fighting for you right now. Today, at this very minute, a battle is being fought on your behalf. As your Heavenly Father, he could never be closer to you than he is at this very moment. There is nothing you have or have not done that determines his faithfulness at this time. He sees his own child, hears you, and has watched you suffer. He knows that at this moment you need him more than ever. You're too tired to continue, he will carry you. You’re too discouraged to fight, he will fight for you. You’re surviving on empty, he will fill you. It’s not because of your title or position, success or failure. It’s because you are his son. Father’s do not abandon their children, especially at the moment they need them the most.
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 8:32 NIV
Would a God who gave his Son not then desire to sustain us and meet our needs? Would he not arise in our conflict to deliver, heal, and restore us? But still we worry. We worry about our family. We worry about our ministry. We worry about our finances. We worry about our future. In the struggle of life and ministry we often find ourselves in a place of worry.
The question that must be answered is this, did God save and call you into the ministry so you could live a life of fret, worry, and anxiety? Would Jesus hang and die on a cross to disregard your prayers? No, not even close. He deeply cares for you and is working on your behalf when you can’t find or feel him in your storm.
He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go. Psalms 91:11
