The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage –  Romans 11:33-36 (day six)

These final verses in Romans 11 are Paul’s response to the righteousness and wisdom of God revealed in the good news. He cannot help but express his joyful confidence in God’s faithfulness to fulfill his promises.

No one would have planned redemption this way. Romans 11:32 offers the perfect summary: “God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.” God allowed human rebellion to reveal our shared condition. Every escape route of superiority has been closed; mercy is the only way out.

This does not mean God authored our rebellion. It means human rebellion could not defeat his redemptive purpose. Through the rejected, crucified, and risen Messiah, God transformed humanity’s worst act into the means of reconciliation and life.

Paul ends his long argument with praise because that is the gospel’s intended outcome: disobedient people restored by mercy and set free to behold and reflect God’s glory.

“For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory.” —Romans 11:36

Re:Verse passage –  Romans 11:33-36 (day five)

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” 

When you read and meditate on verses like this, does it cause a reaction of personal distress, or praise?  The tension it creates is unique. God is bigger, wiser, and more complex than man (us/me). We are finite. We are promised that on this side of eternity, our perspective and potential to fully know and understand God and His Ways are limited by our humanness. “For now we see in a mirror dimly… now I know in part.”
One of my devotional books had a lot to say about this very topic in yesterday’s reading: “It’s humbling to admit, but important nonetheless. You will never reach true, sturdy, and lasting peace and rest of heart by means of understanding… God reveals in his Word all the things you need to know, but he does not tell you all the things that could be known. You and I simply are not able to contain in our limited brains all of God’s plans for us and all of the reasons for those plans.”
“Now, here’s the rub: God created you to be a rational human being. He designed you to think, that is, to strive to make sense out of your life and your world. That is not a bad thing in itself. In fact, it is a very good thing. Your ability to think, interpret, examine, define, explain, and understand is meant to drive you to God. Your mentality is meant to lead you to him and to enable you to understand his revelation to you. So biblical faith is not irrational, but you must face this: it will take you beyond your ability to reason.
So there will be mysteries and surprises in our lives. If you and I suspend belief at every encounter with mystery, we will spend large portions of our lives not believing. If we question God’s goodness and love every time he acts in a way that is unexpected, we will end up concluding that he is not good. If we refuse to rest when we don’t understand, we will end up living lives of distress.”
“So where is peace and rest of heart to be found? You rest in the fact that in his Word, God has told you all the things you absolutely need to know, and then you rest in the complete perfection of his wisdom and character. You rest not because you know, but because the One who knows it all is the definition of what is wise and what is good.” – Paul Tripp

Re:Verse passage –  Romans 11:33-36 (day four)

There are times when I love that I can’t understand the mind of God, and times when it absolutely frustrates me. When I think about how good God is, or the fact that he was willing to give up his Son so that I would be reconciled to him, or that he invites the whole world into relationship with him, I love that his ways are unfathomable. My limited human mind could never dream of a love so deep. The fact that I have been grafted into his family is beyond me, and I am grateful and content to simply worship him.

There are other times though, like when a loved one dies, when a prayer seemingly goes unanswered, or when we witness evil and tragedy in the world, where I have questions for God. I want to search in his unsearchable judgements, I want to understand why he would let these things happen. Sometimes I love that God is unfathomable, and other times it truly upsets me.

But even though God is unfathomable, he does allow us to know things about him. Perhaps most of all, he allows us to know his character. And he has consistently revealed his character to be good, loving, compassionate, and merciful. On the days when I have questions for God, I can rest in the fact that this unfathomable God is good and worthy to be trusted.

Re:Verse passage –  Romans 11:33-36 (day three)

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

I am sure that Paul had many of the words of Isaiah on his mind as he wrote this part of his letter (verse 34 is a quote of Isaiah 40:13). If you have time this week, I encourage you to read Isaiah 55 with Romans 11 in mind. In Isaiah 55, God tells us that salvation is an open invitation to anyone, even the wicked. Isaiah 55 is an open call for the wicked to turn and repent to receive salvation. If you have ever been badly mistreated or deeply wronged or witnessed the wickedness of people, I am certain that this thought can be a little hard to grasp at times. But that is not for us to know, and it is certainly not for us to condemn.

God goes on in verses 8 and 9 to remind us just how much higher His thoughts are than ours and how much we do not understand what He is doing. This, hopefully, gives you pause as you think about how truly great God is. We cannot fully comprehend it! He is on a whole other level that we cannot ever attain. It should also give us pause to remember that before we come to salvation through Jesus, we are all wicked! Isaiah 55 was written for us all to read and be reminded that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

Throughout our Romans study, our theme has been that the gospel is for all, especially for those still struggling in wickedness away from the Lord. Who do you know that is thirsty for the Lord? Who do you know that needs to turn to the Lord so that He may have mercy on them? Talk to that person today. Share with them Isaiah 55:6-7 as you do so.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 11:33-36 (day two) 

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. v. 36

This passage reminds us that the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge are beyond comprehension. It reminds us that there is so much unknowable about God, and yet we are allowed to participate in his work. Sometimes when I get around people who are more talented singers or conductors, better thinkers or writers, or just taller people in general, I tend to fall back and hide. Whether I don’t want to appear inadequate or just want to learn from them, I often choose not to participate. The Lord invites our participation. He has created us to be a part of the good work he is doing around us. Talk about incomprehensible! He does want us to grow and learn from his bounty, but he is not asking us to shrink away from full participation in the gospel. We will spend the rest of our lives trying to understand the mind of God, but it is on the job training! Give God the praise for his incredible love for you today.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 10:5-13 (day seven)

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Salvation is simple. We teach it to our children as the ABC’s of Christianity: Admit, Believe, Confess. That is directly from Romans and it is undoubtedly true. There is nothing else you have to do. What makes it so significant? Confessing that Jesus is your Lord is to pledge implicit obedience and fidelity to Him. What might become lost in the ABC’s is that if we equate stating “Jesus is Lord” as the same thing as confessing “Jesus is my Lord.” Those in the early church would not have used the word “Kurios” in relation to Jesus unless they truly meant it. We do not have the same reverence for the word Lord in modern vernacular. How then do we differentiate stating versus confessing? Transformation will accompany confession, because confession can only come from the Holy Spirit.

no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3b

Re:Verse passage – Romans 10:5-13 (day six).

“Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). ⁷ And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” ⁸ In fact, it says,

“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” Rom. 10:6-8

Paul borrows these questions from Deuteronomy 30, where Moses assures Israel that God’s word is not impossibly distant. They do not need someone to retrieve it from heaven or carry it back from beyond the sea. The word is already near, in their mouths and hearts.

Paul sees this promise fulfilled in Jesus. We do not need to ascend into heaven to bring the Messiah down; God has already sent him. We do not need to descend into death to raise him; God has already raised him from the grave.

God’s promised rescue has come near.

This is part of Paul’s larger assurance that God has not abandoned Israel or forgotten his covenant. In fact, God has fulfilled his promise through Israel’s Messiah and extended its blessing to the nations. Now the same risen Lord is near to everyone (Jew and Gentile) who calls upon him.

The gospel is not a distant treasure achieved through heroic effort. It is good news brought near by God’s faithfulness revealed in Jesus as the risen King, received by faith (full confidence in Jesus), and confessed with our mouths: Jesus is Lord. (And Caesar is not.)

Re:Verse passage – Romans 10:5-13 (day five). One of the things I really like about shopping on Amazon is the ease and simplistic way they have made returning an order. I have purchased dozens of things with the thought, “If I don’t like it or end up not wanting it, I can just return it.” It’s really for the most part, a no-hassle process. Click the button. I do it all the time. In fact, I am returning two items today because they turned out to be different than what I thought I was purchasing- not as advertised. I’ve also had items that didn’t work- they were defective. So I send them back.

I love verse 11 in our Re:Verse text. “For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”  The word choice of “disappointed” is interesting. Other translations and the original language use shame. But really, in the context of Paul’s writing it’s a better choice. Salvation through faith alone in Christ alone is NEVER disappointing. There is never shame, even though we are commanded to symbolically identify with one of the most shameful practices known to the Romans (take up our crosses daily). There is never a need or cause to regret or be disappointed in this commitment. Salvation is better than described. Salvation never fails- God’s provision and promises are true. In all my years of ministry, I’ve never heard someone say, “I wished I had not put all my faith and trust in Christ.”  How about you? Any shame or disappointment?  Have you experienced His faithfulness?  More reasons to thank and praise God today!!

Re:Verse passage – Romans 10:5-13 (day three)

Sorry, but I must go beyond the focused passage and look at verse 14. It is the mission verse in our ReVerse passage. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” The question is for you and the church. We are left to wonder “who will go?” The answer naturally should be that we are the ones Jesus assigned to the task. There are several problems we must solve: 1) Who has not heard the Gospel of Christ? 2) How will they hear and understand in their language? And 3) Who will be the preacher?

Are you willing to preach the Gospel where people have not yet heard? What will it take to reach the lost world who are dying every day without the Word of God to give them the faith required to be saved? The church is responsible to finish the Great Commission. You and I have the command from our Savior to Go. We must ask permission to stay where we are. There is no other name whereby men must be saved. There is only Jesus. It is the preaching of the Good News of Jesus that brings faith, causes someone to confess their sins and confess Jesus is Lord. As the scripture that is being quoted from Deuteronomy says, The Word is not far from you…it is in your heart and in your hands (paraphrased). We have been given the Truth and so we must be the ones to take it to those who do not yet have it. Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to raise up laborers to go into His harvest field but be willing to answer the call yourself or you will be praying half-heartedly!

Let’s sacrifice it all for Jesus! He is worthy!