Read: Romans 8:31-34
If God is for us, who can be against us? (v. 31)
During elementary school, I was often afraid of bigger students. One particular student caused me significant fear: an older boy who was loud, unpredictable, and aggressive. But one day we were teamed up together in a playground game. He went from being a potential enemy to being a powerful ally. He was on my side. Not only was I no longer afraid of him, I was unafraid of anyone else.
When we first sinned against God, we positioned ourselves as God’s enemies (Genesis 3). God became another of the many dangers we feared in our broken world. But God refused to treat us as his enemies. He broke down the dividing wall of our sin. In the person of Jesus, he became one of us (John 1:14). He faced the dangers of this world alongside us. He conquered death for us. We treated God as an enemy, but he treated us as his friends.
We could ask for no greater friend. Not only is God the faithful friend who died in our place and the constant friend who lives in our hearts and never leaves us, but God is the all-powerful friend: the ruler of the universe to whom every foe must submit and before whom “every knee shall bow” (Rom. 14:11). The still, small voice of the Holy Spirit reassures us that God is on our side. If he is for us, who indeed can be against us? —Ben Van Arragon
As you pray, offer God your fears, knowing that he is greater than every one of them.
About the Author
Ben Van Arragon is the Minister of Worship and Leadership at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He preaches and teaches the Bible in church, online, and anywhere else he has the opportunity.
