Overcoming the Obstacles (Romans 8:31-32)                                            2010.03.28                                Leo Soong  

       Last week, we answered the questions – who am I, and why am I here? We learned that we have been created by God in His own image. He loved us from the beginning, and wanted us to be members of His family; but we rejected Him. The history of the world is the story of how God has taken the initiative to bring us back home to Himself.

        Today we shall describe some of the obstacles which keep us from experiencing the joy and peace which God promises to those who have become members of His family. Even when hard times and suffering comes upon us, we should be able to rejoice because we have hope. The apostle Paul tells us that if God loved us even when we were His enemies and sent Jesus to die for us, how much more will He take care of us now that we are valued family members?  Everything flows out of God’s love. The Apostle John tells us that God is love. “This is how God shows his love among us. He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). Biblical prophets and apostles who had a glimpse of the true God and what He was really like could only despise themselves and “repent in dust and ashes” as they compared their own sinfulness to God’s holiness.

Any lack of gratitude, peace and joy is serious. Luckily, it is a problem with a solution. The God Who created you for relationship with Him knows what is hindering you. He is eager to let you know the solution to the problem that is keeping you from a closer relationship with Him. One thing we know for sure is that getting discouraged and giving up is not a biblical option. The Bible talks about “praying without ceasing”; Jesus says that God will quickly answer those who cry out to Him day and night; the Epistle of James talks about asking God with the right motivation and also asking without doubt. “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8).

On His way to the Cross, Jesus gave some sincere advice his disciples: pray persistently, and to do it without doubt. Surely we can trust the advice of someone who gave His life for us. If He wants us to pray in this way, we must do our best – and if we should fail, we should confess our failure to Jesus who understands weakness, accept His forgiveness, and try our best to pray again. The important thing is to not give up.

Consider the example of Daniel: “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).  Daniel did not set any time limits. He committed himself to prayer and fasting until he received an answer. When it comes to our relationship with God, we have to be like Daniel, “all in” without any reservations. Our double-mindedness is what hinders God from helping; and as soon as we remove it, He has promised to help, and He will do it.

Consider the example of Jacob, who wrestled with God. Even when God disabled him by wrenching his hip, Jacob refused to let go. He said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26).

The Apostle Paul asked three times God to remove a thorn from his flesh, a messenger from Satan that tormented him. But God refused with the following words: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul’s reaction is instructive. His faith was strong, and he knew that God always knows best. Consequently, he said, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses…For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). To be able to say that sincerely, you have to truly believe in what God says in His Word. He loves you; He will do what is best for you as long as you trust Him totally.