Never Separated
“No, in all these things we are MORE than CONQUERORS through HIM who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present or things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our Lord. (Emphasis added).”
When I read this verse, I could not help but to envision Paul writing to Rome with such passion and grit that a mic drop had to have followed.
Nor pandemic, nor positive COVID results and quarantine orders.
Nor online school and technical difficulties
Nor governor announcements and gathering limits
Nor strife over hot button topics and keyboard warriors.
Nor cancelled holiday gatherings and changed traditions.
Nor travel restrictions and zoom meetings and working from home.
Nor our big feelings and undependable emotions nor the emotions of those who surround us.
NOTHING. Nothing can keep us away from the love of God.
There are many more painful realities that I have not mentioned here. The things that are happening in our world right now are very real and very raw and it feels like it is happening all at once. The challenge in all of this is to remember His promise. To hold it dear in our hearts so that when it all feels too big and overwhelming or when we are feeling sad and weary, we can pause and remember that we are not alone. He is walking every single step of this alongside us. None of this is a surprise to Him and so we should not be surprised that He knows how to support us through it. He gives us the strength we need to walk through it and to conquer it with Him.
Circumstances can take our attention away from His love but that is not the same as being separated. When we are in a place of suffering or sadness we can struggle to turn our focus from inward to outward or even allow anyone inside with us. But God is with us in our pain and disappointment, He is working in it (Romans 8:28), and He will bring us out on the other side victorious in Him.
I am not writing from a place of arrival or perfection but of one who needs this reminder too. My positive COVID test was a prompt to fix my focus in this season. It’s been a hard year and very honestly, it has been one where I haven’t felt super connected to God. It’s funny how when everything else is stripped away and you make the time to seek God, you can hear Him more clearly. When the busyness and noise are quieted we can see Him working where we weren’t sure He even noticed we needed help.
He is working in all of the things we see and so many that we do not see. There is no hardship or any unknowns to Him. When we pray and then create a place of stillness to listen, He guides us and reveals little by little the victories we have won with Him.
Quarantine and sickness, by nature, stops our lives in its tracks and forces us to slow down. Any of the above things can happen and in all reality, life doesn’t look like we thought it would this year. But none of these things have the power to separate us from the love of our Father who has already won the war (John 16:33).
“Lord, when we think of all of the things that could interfere with your love the list could be miles long. All of the ways the enemy tries to derail us and make us believe we are in this alone are endless. But in you we are more than conquerors! Help us to remember this truth when the world turns upside down and we struggle to find clarity. Thank you for the ways you provide for us and for your unending and unconditional love. Amen.”
Meet Saunseray!
Hello! My name is Saunseray Benjamin and it is an honor for me to be a voice of encouragement in this blog series. I live in Upstate New York with my husband of 15 years, my five beautiful children, two dogs, two cats, and a bearded dragon - we have a lot of love to give! My family was quarantined for 35 days in November and December of 2020 due to both positive and negative COVID cases in our home. Looking at the road ahead of us at the beginning of quarantine felt so overwhelming and there were so many unknowns but we made the best of it with the help of our amazing friends who loved us, supported us, and helped us through it! I am so grateful for a Father who provided so much love, healing, and comfort during this time! Bessings!
