A Different Kind of Love StorySample

God Is Our Anchor

When you’re in the middle of a time of darkness, it challenges your ability to trust God like nothing else can. In addition, it messes with your emotions. You may know something in your head, but what you feel may go against everything you once thought was true.

That’s why in these last two days, we are going to talk about having an anchor. The passage we’re going to look at together can offer you just that when it comes to walking through the darkness. And it could potentially change the way you see pain, the way you see yourself, and the way you see God in the middle of it.

I’ve mentioned Paul this week, because he’s one of my favorites. At the time Paul wrote Romans, he was about to travel to Jerusalem—knowing in advance that, because of his outspoken faith, his life would be in danger there. Some people say Paul wrote his letter to the Romans believing it was the last thing he would write. With those circumstances in mind, Paul states: “What should we say then? Since God is on our side, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). When Paul says, “What should we say,” he’s talking about what a believer’s response should be to suffering. Pain. Heartache. Tragedy.

Then he makes an interesting statement. “Since God is on our side, who can be against us?”

When tragedy strikes, we don’t know how to respond. We don’t know what to do. We ask big and heavy questions. We feel isolated, devastated, hopeless, and unmoored.

And in response, Paul gives us the answer. It doesn’t feel like an answer though; it feels like he ignored our questions completely. But Paul says that when tragedy happens, when pain strikes, remember what God has already done for you.

He gave us Jesus. Jesus, who put on human flesh and experienced pain, loss, and even death for us. Through the death of his own Son, God entered into humanity. Our hurt doesn’t surprise Him, and it’s not foreign to Him. He enters our darkness.

But God isn’t just in it with us. Paul also declares that God is for us. He did not spare his own Son; instead, He gave his Son so that we would have His incredible promise to hold on to. 

Looking back at your own times of pain or uncertainty, how has God shown His care?