At the end of pondering Romans 9:1-18 (printed below) I feel comforted.
The comfort is in the reassurance that God, NOT man, wins!
This is especially comforting when our lives, nation, and world seem increasingly chaotic.
God wins…even against the carelessness of Esau who despised his birthright.
Esau-ness runs rampant in our own flesh. Right?
Nevertheless, God wins anyway!
And I have hope in his calming presence through Christ’s birthright in me.
God wins…even against the mighty power of Pharoah who believed he was the god even more powerful than The God.
Pharaoh-ness plays the supreme rebel against God in our own flesh. Right?
Still God wins again!
And I have rest because his will is stronger than mine! Mine surrenders…his delivers!
God wins…even when his own people (Israel and us), who have all the gifts and knowledge, go sideways into religion and away from relationship with Jesus.
Religious-ness constantly tries to be the self-comforter in our own flesh. Right?
God wins past all that through his love that will never leave us!
So, no matter how it looks on our earthly level God clearly is in charge.
And, because of Christ working within us, we submit our own:
-
careless Esau-ness
-
power-driven Pharaoh-ness
-
self-comforting of religious-ness
to God’s almighty sovereign God-ness
and Peace (after our repeated, seemingly repetitious, surrenders)
“attendeth our way.”
As we surrender our names, kingdoms, and wills with the cry:
Thy Name
be hallowed
Thy Kingdom
come
Thy Will
be done
on earth
right here
in me
right here
in us!
Romans 9:1–18, ESV
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”