The Inseparable Love of God (1) [ Romans 8:38-39 ] Why can nothing separate us from the love of God? 1. Because God’s love is eternal. Romans 8:29a says: “For those whom He foreknew…” The word “foreknew” refers to before eternity began —before the creation of heaven and earth . The phrase “those whom He foreknew” does not simply mean knowing about someone intellectually, but rather loving them. In other words, it refers to “those whom God loved from eternity past.” Amos 3:2a says: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” If “known” merely meant intellectual knowledge, that would imply that God only knew Israel and did not know the other nations—which cannot be true, because the all-knowing God lacks knowledge of nothing. Therefore, “I have known you only” means “I have loved you only.” God loved Israel among all the nations of the earth. Hosea 13:5 says: “I knew you in the wilderness , in the land of great drought.” The “wilderness” was where the Israelite...
'O God, how long ...?'
In
times of various troubles, if the intense pain continues
and
we reach the point where we can no longer endure
and
feel we have reached the limit of our patience,
we,
like the psalmist, may cry out to God:
"How
long, O God, will You look on?" (Ref.: Psalms 35:17)
"How long, O God, will this go on?" (Ref.: 89:46; 90:13)
"How long, O Lord, will I have to bear this pain and suffering?" (Ref.:
13:2)
"How long, O Lord, will You forget me?" (Ref.: v. 1)
"God,
my heart is deeply troubled; how long will I have to wait?" (Ref.: 6:3)
"God, how long will You refuse to listen to my prayers?" (Ref.: 80:4)
Additionally,
like the angels of God, we might cry out,
"How
long, O Lord, will You show mercy to me?" (Ref.: Zechariah 1:12)
At
that time, God will respond to us with words of kindness and comfort:
"I have great love and concern for you.
I will show you mercy and refine you,
setting
you firmly on the rock of faith, as pure as gold.
I will bless you abundantly and make you rich.
I
will comfort you and bless you"
(Ref.: Zechariah 1:13-17; Job 23:10; Psalms 62:6; Matthew 16:18).
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