Category Archives: Romans

³³ Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

³⁴ For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?
³⁵ And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?

³⁶ For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Romans 11:33-3

Dear God, there is a note after verse 35 that cross references Job 41:11a [you talking]: “Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?”

Several years ago, after I did a study of Job and understood his growth through the trials he experienced, I noticed something fascinating about Paul. He had the same perspective in his epistles that Job came to by the end of the book. It is the idea that our lives are not about us, but just completely submitted to you. Paul says as much in Acts 20:24, but he also lives it while incarcerated and still giving thanks to you and love to others. I wonder how much time Paul spent with the book of Job when he was a Pharisee–before his conversion to Christianity. Had he already decided, even as a Pharisee, that his life was worth nothing to him and submitted it to you, albeit in a misguided way? Was he already there by the time he was on the road to Damascus?

Going back to this passage, I confess that I do not understand your ways. I don’t know where all this is going or how it all works out. My hope is that you will lead me to the peace that passes understanding. I was telling someone earlier today how you are using struggles in my life to form me, and I said at the end, “Some days, I believe what I’m telling you.” There are days when I don’t believe it. There are days when I feel sorry for myself. There are days when I’m just sad. Sometimes even mad.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, to quote Job in chapter 40 and 42: “I am nothing–how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say….I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that question my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I–and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and i will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” Well, for anything that I’ve ever said to complain about my lot, I am so sorry. I do repent. You are my God. My life is yours.

I pray this through the grace you gave me through Jesus.

Amen

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Romans 5:6-11

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning it made me think of a Phillips, Craig & Dean song “Mercy Came Running.” It also made me think of the “Thank You/F*** You” post I did a few weeks ago. “Utterly helpless.” I really am. I’m just utterly helpless. I cannot fix my sin. I cannot reconcile myself with you. I cannot do anything to reconcile myself to the people I’ve harmed and offended. I need your mercy. I need their mercy. I am helpless.

But “since [I] have been made right in [your] sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly same me from [your] condemnation.” So what is my responsibility now? What am I to do with this amazing gift? Whom shall I love. How shall I love them.

Right now, my wife and I are going to spend the evening with some people we don’t know well. I pray that you will use this evening to glorify your name through us. Glorify your name to us through them as well. I want to be your servant tonight. I want to be very good at being my wife’s husband and being your ambassador. I am sure our hosts want the same. I am sure they want to be your ambassadors as well. Let this be an evening of iron sharpening iron. Let it be an evening of your glory being shone through our weaknesses. Through our sin and your mercy and grace.

I pray all of this through the blessed, holy, taintless blood of Jesus,

Amen

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Romans 12:9-16

Dear God, in other words, “Get over yourself, love God and love others.” I wonder if a song has ever been written based on this passage. It’s one of those great admonitions I might hear at a graduation ceremony. If I were to ever give a commencement address, I can see building the whole thing around this passage.

When I sat down this morning, my first thought was that I really need to focus on worshipping you. I haven’t taken the time to pray in this way in a few days and I can feel it. I miss you. Yeah. I’ve missed you. So I want to worship you this morning. You are this unbelievable… well, God, and I am humbled in front of you. I’m just here right now to worship, bow down, and say that you’re my God.

Father, may the words of my mouth, the acts of my hands, and the meditations of my heart bring glory to you today.

I pray this through the grace of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection,

Amen

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Romans 8:26-27

Dear God, it’s good to know that even for the Holy Spirit, sometimes there just are no words–just groans. Right now, I am asking that the Holy Spirit will plead for us to you in harmony with your own will. It’s a simple prayer, really. Holy Spirit, I am at a loss for words right now. There was a tragedy in our community last night. There are people impacted by the loss. There are people who are tasked with comforting those who lost while experiencing the loss themselves. There are people who are more on the periphery who simply care. But we are one community. We need each other. Use this to unite us. Please do not let this pain be wasted.

Father, right now is just a time to groan in pain. The day will come when we can pull our heads up and not experience the pain as deeply, but right now, in this moment, there is just pain. Pain and fear. So I don’t have much else to say today except thank you that you’re there, and thank you that you care.

I pray all of this under your Holy Name,

Amen

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.
Romans 5:6

Dear God, helpless is an interesting word here. Last Sunday, I heard a sermon where the pastor talked about a family who lost everything in a house fire. Now, they were experiencing tremendous blessing, kindness, and charity from countless people and they didn’t know how to respond. The pastor was talking to the man, who was a neighbor, not a parishioner, and the man told the pastor that he was really struggling with accepting all of this charity. The pastor replied that the man was feeling helpless for the first time, needed the help of others, and didn’t like it. That was hard. It’s hard for nearly all of us, frankly.

I think back to when we were children and we just expected things to be delivered to us. We did nothing to provide for ourselves and we did little to show in-kind or commensurate appreciation or love to those who were providing for us. We simply didn’t have the capacity to give back.

I knew a woman who, a few years ago, had to care for her father in his old age. Actually, I’ve known a lot of people in this situation. And it’s hard for both to embrace their new roles. It’s hard for both to understand what to do and how to accept what is happening.

All of this is to say, this is also how it is between you and us. You and me. I am helpless. I simply am. As my wife and I prayed together this morning, I talked about weeding the soil in my life to give the Holy Spirit room to work in me. I cannot do it on my own. I cannot will myself to be more like you. All I can do is try to clear out the thorns of this world (Matthew 13:22) and then give your Holy Spirit room to grow in me. That’s what I’m trying to do this morning. Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I am helpless and I need you. Please help me to turn loose of the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, take up my cross, and simply follow you.

I pray all of this under your authority and with great gratitude,

Amen

²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹ And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²² But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:20-23

Dear God, I was thinking recently about some of the things the modern church says you view as sin. And I’m not saying here which sins are which and which sins are seemingly more important to some than others (e.g. homosexuality vs. ignoring the poor). But what I do want to stop and think about is why different things are sins. Why is it a sin to ignore the poor? If homosexuality is on the list, why is it on the list?

I think it’s always been a teaching of the church that you set up the rules for our benefit. They are here so we can be happier and live more fulfilled lives. If we don’t lie, cheat on our spouses, covet, etc. then our lives our better. If we put no other gods or idols before you and observe the Sabbath, then our lives are better. So if we are going to say that not caring for the poor or homosexuality are sins, why did you set them up as things we should guard against?

Well, I’m not going to touch the homosexuality issue–at least not publicly–but what happens to my life if I turn a blind eye to the poor or those who are suffering? How does that hurt me? Well, for this example I go back to 2003. I was living a nice little cocooned life worshipping you, being married to my wife and raising our two children in our middle class home. In retrospect, it was pretty selfish and insular. I was supposed to be salt in the world, but I wasn’t being very salty. I wasn’t being your hands and feet. What’s more is the fact that by not reaching out to help people who were struggling made me much more judgmental and less merciful towards them. No, to be sure, I am a better man now than I was 20 years ago (almost exactly 20 years ago) because I have spent the last 20 years caring for others who are struggling.

Father, maybe the thing for us to do is to define why you designating something as a sin before we start going out and trying to convict people of that sin. Additionally, maybe it’s important to look at the existing sins in our own lives and humbly work those out with fear and trembling before you and then invite others into that process of living before you and worshipping you before we start to pick apart the sins we think we see them committing. I’m not saying that sin isn’t bad. Certainly not. Paul makes it clear above. But is the death he refers to in verse 23 hell or the hellish life we will live on earth if we allow ourselves to pursue different sins? Or both? Well, I suppose that is up to interpretation at some point. What I know right now is that I need to spend more time examining my own heart and finding sin to purge and less time examining the hearts of others. Holy Spirit, please help me to do that.

I pray all of this through the mercy given to me through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection,

Amen

²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Romans 8:26-30

Dear God, I have something that I don’t want to share specifically in this forum, but you know what is on my heart. It needs a lot of concerted prayer. Holy Spirit, you’ve put this on my heart. I’m just not sure what to do with it. You’re calling me to be open to something, but I don’t know what. On the one had, I want to be like Peter right now and just decide something needs to be done and do it (see Matthias in Acts 2). But I don’t want to get ahead of you like I think Peter did (my personal opinion is that Paul was the intended replacement for Judas and Peter jumped the gun). I feel like you’re telling me that there is a need here, but this is a moment to be prayerful and watchful. I need to pray about what to do and then listen carefully for your timing to act on it.

As I look at these verses today, I’m reminded of the Holy Spirit’s role in my life. Counselor. Comforter. Healer. Intercessor. He is your presence in me and around me. He is you, Father, and you, Jesus, with me. The Holy Spirit is the one Jesus said he would send after his ascension into heaven. Holy Spirit, you are praying for me above my ignorance. You groan for me and my situations. You are pleading for me in harmony with the Father’s will. And even when things look bad, I trust that the Father’s will is that the world would move into complete harmony with himself. This might not happen in my lifetime. I measure things in days, weeks, and months, while the Father measures time in years, decades, and centuries. So I am ignorant and don’t know for what I should pray, but I trust that the Holy Spirit is taking my prayers and guiding them into your perfect will.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. Guide me. Give me ears to hear. Give me eyes to see. Give me discernment. Give me your vision for what you want me to do. Keep me from foolish impetuousness, but also don’t let me allow fear or reluctance to drive me into inaction. Make my path straight and hold my hand as I walk it.

I pray all of this under your authority and submitted to you,

Amen