Secure in Love

 Devotion: "Secure in His Love"

Romans 8:35 (ESV)
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"

When life presses in with all its burdens — when distress steals sleep, when hardships gnaw at hope, when persecution looms or danger stalks my peace — I sometimes wonder: Will I make it to the end? Will my fragile heart hold firm to Christ when the storms come harder and faster?

Today’s verse meets me right there, in the uncertainty of my own strength. Paul’s piercing question shakes loose all my fears: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Behind this question lies the unshakeable assurance that no one — and no thing — can tear me away from His embrace.

Jesus Himself is at the right hand of God, interceding for me even now (Romans 8:34). If Jesus prays for me, can I doubt that His prayers are heard and answered? I think of Peter — full of bold declarations one moment, full of fear the next. Satan demanded to sift him like wheat, but Jesus prayed specifically that Peter’s faith would not ultimately fail (Luke 22:31–32). Though Peter stumbled, he was not lost. Jesus restored him.

The strength of my salvation does not rest on the strength of my grip, but on the strength of the One who holds me. Like a parent tightly holding a child’s hand when crossing a busy street, God’s firm grip will not let me go. My salvation is sure — not because I am so faithful, but because He is.

And yet, God does not violate my will; He wins my heart. The tension between His sovereignty and my responsibility is a mystery too vast for my mind to fully grasp. Many wiser than I have wrestled with it for centuries. But today, instead of fretting over the mechanics of mystery, I choose to rest in the truth: I am loved. I am secure. I am kept by Christ.

Contemplation:

• Do I live daily with the confidence that nothing can separate me from Christ’s love?

• How does knowing that Jesus prays for me strengthen my faith?

• Am I more focused on trying to "hold on" to God, or am I resting in the truth that He is holding on to me?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus,
How marvelous it is to know that You are interceding for me at this very moment! Thank You for the assurance that no hardship, no suffering, no enemy can pry me from Your love. Forgive me when I doubt, when I allow fear to shake my confidence in Your unbreakable grip.
Teach me to rest in Your love. Remind me that my security is not rooted in my ability to remain faithful, but in Your unwavering faithfulness to me. Thank You for praying for me, for standing as my Advocate before the Father.
I give You praise today, Jesus, for the eternal security You provide, and I trust You to carry me safely into Your presence — not as my Judge, but as my beloved Savior. Help me to live in the joyful confidence that I am Yours, forever.
In Your precious and powerful name I pray,
Amen.