Devotional for Tuesday, March 29, 2016
“Nothing Can Separate Us From His Love”
by Dona Hake
Once again our world has been terrorized, and innocent people have lost their lives. Many were critically injured, and among the dead are some Americans. My heart was so grieved as I watched the coverage of the terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium. In the midst of this tragedy, one of the severely injured offered an interview that was a breath of fresh air. It was because of his attitude toward the whole ordeal that he is going through. I was so touched as they were interviewing this young man as he laid in his hospital bed. He spoke with peace and calm yet all you could see were his eyes. His body was completely bandaged from the burns and injuries that he received in the horrific attack.
Whenever I hear of anyone receiving burns my heart goes out to them. A few years ago I received third degree burns to only a few of my fingers, and to this day I can remember how painful it was. My Granddaughters were with me, and to this day the oldest can recount every moment of the event. I sat with her on the sofa with tears running down my face from the pain. I was so disoriented from the pain I could hardly think straight. As I watched this young man speaking from his hospital bed I could only imagine what he was going through, and how uncomfortable he must have been.
Not only did this young man experience injury from this attack, he was also present during the Boston Marathon bombing in which he was watching his mother run. Praise God she was not injured. Even as hatred, tragedy, and pain faced him in a big way, this young man still chose to profess strong faith in God. As he laid in the hospital bed, completely covered in bandages from shrapnel and severe burns he shared how he could feel the love and presence of God even in the midst of the fire of the Belgium attacks in the airport. So if you are like me maybe you try to put yourself in his place and ask yourself, “What would I say in such an interview?” What can we learn from this?
The thing that really stood out to me was how this young man made great emphasis on the fact that in spite of how horrible this was, he felt the love and presence of his Lord the whole time. He never let go of his profession of faith, and was thankful he was alive. The scripture that I felt to share and leave you with is from Romans 8:35-39. I pray as you meditate upon this that it will bless you and encourage your heart as you ponder His inseparable love!
Romans 8:35-39 (The Living Bible)
“Who then can ever keep Christ’s love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because he doesn’t love us anymore? And if we are hungry or penniless or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us?
No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day—we are like sheep awaiting slaughter;
but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us.
but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us.
For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow,
or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.”
or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.”