32. What Shall We Say to These Things?
My passionate prayer for you is that the truths in this book have touched your heart and opened your understanding to how much you are loved by your Father in heaven. He is good, and you can trust Him with every part of your life.
We started this book by recounting the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They had been created for a loving relationship with the Father, and they had walked with Him in open, innocent love. We can only imagine how good life must have been for them as they enjoyed all that God provided.
Sadly, they rebelled against Him, and their sin marred this fellowship. Life would never be the same, and now they felt guilty and isolated from the One who had created them.
And then they heard His voice calling after them.
In recounting this story, we reflected on how we imagine the tone of the Father’s voice calling for them. Many assume this tone to be harsh and judgmental, but we have seen that, in reality, it was the voice of a broken-hearted Dad who was coming to make it right. He knew what they had done, and he rushed to help them in their distress.
The wonderful truth is that it is more than OK with our Father in heaven. He is not an angry Creator looking to judge a rebellious creation. Instead, He is a Dad who loves us with all of His heart. He has done everything possible to undo the ravages of our sin and to reconcile us to Himself. At an enormous personal cost, He sent His Son to die in our place so we can be forgiven and enjoy life as His beloved children.
Spend a few moments reading the verses below several times and allow the Holy Spirit to show you just how much it is OK with your Father in heaven.
Romans 8:31–39 (ESV) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is truly OK with your Father in heaven. He is calling after you, too. But as we have seen, this is not an angry, judgmental voice. Instead, it is the voice of a Dad who passionately loves you.
You are deeply valued and loved by Him, and nothing shall ever separate you from His love.
I pray this journey has opened your understanding of how much He loves you. He is good, and you can trust Him with every part of your life.
Why not spend a few moments telling the Father how much you love Him in response to His love for you?
Luke 15:1–7 (NLT) Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
John 3:16 (ESV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.