by Jeremy Sprouse ~ April 8th, 2008
You might recall a song called “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” sung by Gordon Lightfoot. In this tragic song about crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald perishing in a storm the singer cries out: “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” When tragedy strikes mans natural inclination seems to be the lay the disaster at God’s feet. When we see struggles and problems in our lives and the lives of others we sometimes ask that same question: “Where does the love of God go?”
Paul asks another question in Romans 8:35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” He goes on to answer his own question in essence saying nothing can separate us from the loves of God: “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing” (Romans 8:38-39).
The point of this passage is not to say that we will never face problems in our lives. Earlier in this chapter Paul talked about the present sufferings they were enduring (Romans 8:18). In 8:36, he was talking about how they were being put death all day long for the name of God. Clearly, Paul does not mean they will never face tribulation, peril, or sword in Christ. We are never promised an easy carefree life.
The point of the passage is to show that these things do not separate us from the love of God. Just because a Christian was put to death didn’t mean God loved them any less than the Christians who lived on. The same is true today. A Christian who struggles with cancer isn’t loved any less than a Christian who lives to 120 years. Whatever we face—car problems, health problems, work problems—does not reflect on how much God loves us.
The love of God does not go anywhere. His love is constant and unfailing. We are the ones who turn away from Him. We can do what nothing else on earth can—separate ourselves from the love of God. When we face tragedy and struggles in our lives the choice is ours: we can look to God or we can turn away from Him. What are you going to do?
