Romans 8:31-39

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 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 is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Come with me on a journey to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Some of you may already be on the verge of “checking out” of this devotion; but, before you do, answer this question: In the midst of a raging battle, exhausted and gravely outnumbered, surrounded by your enemies, where or to whom do you turn for help?

In Romans 8, Paul speaks of tribulation, distress, persecution, and even death––the forces seem insurmountable. In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the people of Rohan find themselves in a similar situation; outnumbered, overpowered, and hopelessly without salvation. Defeat is quickly approaching, death is inevitable; Rohan is on the verge of losing the Battle of Helm’s Deep in a devastating, irrevocable way.

The night has seemed to last a lifetime; but dawn Is approaching and hope with It. Salvation for Rohan arrives in the form of an army on the Western hill. Gandalf and the Riders of Rohan arrive to aid in the battle against enemy forces, turning the tide of the battle. In Romans 8, Paul assures us that if God is for us, no one can stand against us! Though the night may seem long and the odds impossible, God has already won!

The ultimate victory lies in the unshakable love of God––nothing can separate us from His love. Frederick M. Lehman wrote the hymn, “The Love of God,” in which he beautifully describes how God’s love is pure, immeasurable, and eternal. God’s love for us, who are made in His image, is beyond measurement. The most feasible way to express it is by pointing to Christ; His love for us was displayed through the Person of Christ.

Through His death, we have eternal life; we have victory!

Like Rohan turned to the rising dawn with hopeful assurance, we can turn to our Savior with the certainty of His protection, salvation, and indescribable love. How glorious a truth! We can live a life filled with deep joy, everlasting peace, and unwavering hope. Though we will still face trials because this world is imperfect, those troubles become bearable and even welcomed in light of the higher purpose we serve.

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