Do you ever feel like it’s you against the world?
You vs. The slow driver in front of you when you’re already running late.
You vs. The disobedience of the little people in your house.
You vs. The co-worker who undermines your work at every step.
You vs. The hurtful consequences of your sin or the sin of others.
You vs. The fallenness of our world manifested in heartache, illness, and death.
Who or what is your nemesis this week? Take a minute and fill in the blank. This week, it feels like you vs. _____________________.
Then draw your hope and courage from Romans 8:31:
“What then can we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
In this verse, Paul proclaims that God is for us. It’s a bold claim—but it’s also the logical response to all “these things” he’s written in the verses just before. He just finished saying that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That God works all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. That God foreknew us, predestined us, called us, justified us, and glorified us by His grace. (See Rom. 8:1-30.)
If all this is true (and so much more!), we come to this conclusion: God is for us. And if God, the sovereign and powerful Creator and Sustainer of all that exists—if that God is for us, then who can be against us?
The answer is no one and nothing. People and circumstances threaten us and may appear to win, but the truth is that no one can successfully come against those who are in Christ. We are safely held by Him.
God takes what others intend for evil and use it for good in our lives, to sanctify us, refine us, and conform us to the image of His Son. (Gen. 50:20, Rom. 8:29.) Your children’s misbehavior, your co-worker’s schemes, your struggles with temptation, that driver in front of you, this fallen world—whatever your nemesis is this week—none of these can separate you from God’s love or from His plans for you (Rom. 8:38-39, Job 42:2).
No matter what you face this week, God is for you.
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