I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 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. Romans 8:38-39
When our three children were young, Pam and I enjoyed loading them into our full-sized conversion van. The vehicle, featuring an icebox, a sink, and a foldout couch, enabled us to keep driving while the children stretched their legs, played on the floor, and took naps on the sofa. We loved that van and never gave much thought to what might happen if we were in an accident.
We should have thought about it. We had seen what happened to the children when we hit a big bump crossing some Indiana railroad tracks. I remember all four tires of the van leaving the ground as we launched into the sky like Evil Knievel. I recall looking in the rearview mirror and seeing all three of our children in the air at the same time. We should have figured things out, but we just never did.
Pam and I are thankful our children are smarter than we were. They make sure the grandchildren are buckled into a car seat every time they go anywhere. I’ve noticed that if it means keeping their children safe, most parents don’t mind the extra time and inconvenience of putting their children into restraints that are only slightly less confining than a straight jacket.
Everybody felt safe with the car-seat situation, until, a few weeks ago, “Consumer Reports” said many of the car seats, the car seats that we trusted to save our children, had failed some tests. The magazine said most car seats wouldn’t keep the children protected. Parents panicked at the shocking news. They stayed panicked until Consumer Reports came forward and said, “OOPS, we goofed on the tests; the seats are safe; your children will be secure.”
All of which got me to thinking … can we ever be sure that we are safe? After some pondering, I found an answer in the writings of St. Paul. The apostle said, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.” (Romans 8:38-39). Those verses are God’s way of letting us know that people, and car seats, and magazines may fail us, but He never will. It’s the Holy Spirit’s way of telling us that pains and problems; hurts and horrors will definitely visit each of us. Even so, we can be sure that if we are held in the all-mighty, all-loving hands of our Savior, we remain secure. The Savior, in His life, death, and resurrection has shown He will never let us go; He will never fail us.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, we live in a world where promises are frequently broken and our trust is betrayed. Give us a faith, which rests safe and secure in Your unfailing love. In Your Name. Amen.
Today's Bible Readings: Job 38-40 Matthew 15:21-39
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"