Nothing can separate us: Remembering that God is with us

I was walking on the beach, enjoying the beauty of the glistening water. I could feel the warmth of the sunshine on me. I heard the waves crashing on the shore. I smelled the salty air.

It occurred to me that God's grace is like an ocean-so vast that we can’t comprehend how great it is. And the grains of sand are much like his love. In fact, his thoughts about us “outnumber the grains of sand.” (Ps. 139:17-18, NIV).

The scripture in Psalms 139:17-18 says,
"How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you."

We are oftentimes too hard on ourselves. We’re trying to be perfect, when God already sees us as perfect. He sees Jesus when he looks at us. God sent Jesus to die for our sins so we could live with Him forever. This means that nothing can separate us from God’s love.

Romans 8:38-39 says, "For 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 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God has given us the ocean and the sandy shore, among many other gifts, as reminders us that he loves us and doesn't want to be apart from us.

The apostle Paul is the writer of that passage in Romans. Paul was not only the author of multiple books of the Bible, but the one who used to be called Saul and persecuted Christians.

He too became convinced that God's love was real and for him, so great that he could never be parted from it. If he believed that, I believe you and I can receive it too.

Scripture for meditation

“For 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 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

(Romans 8:38-39, NIV)

Prompts for reflection and journaling

Is there anything you have done that makes you feel like you’re separated from God’s love?

What reminders of God's love, whether big or small, do you see in your daily life?

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