Best of Daily Reflections: God Is on Your Side

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Romans 8:31

It’s hard to imagine better news than this: God is for us! This means God is on your side. God is there to help you when you need it. God is cheering you on. God is in your corner. God has your back. Now that’s great news, don’t you think?

The rhetoric of Romans 8:31 doesn’t mean that we literally have no enemies. At times, people will oppose us. More profoundly, in this life, we are in a spiritual battle with sin and the powers of darkness. So, yes, there are forces that are against us. But, when we consider the fact that God is on our side, the power of our enemies shrinks in comparison. We have no need to fear because the very Creator of the universe is backing us up. Thanks be to God!

Of course, the fact that God is for us does not mean that he blesses everything we choose to do. God is not some blind force that we yield for our purposes. Rather, the Almighty seeks our very best. When we get off the right path, the God who is for us doesn’t send us on our merry way. Rather, he leads us back to the right way.

When I try to understand God being for me, I think of how I feel about and am committed to my own children. I want the best for them. I cheer them on. When they go astray, I yearn to get them back on the straight and narrow. When they suffer, my heart breaks. I would give anything for my children to flourish in this life.

So it is with God, my Heavenly Father, only so much more. God is for me—and you—in the most exquisite way. This great news gives us confidence to live boldly for him each day.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you think of God as being on your side? Or do you think of God as being against you? How might the truth that God is for you transform your life?

PRAYER: O Lord, I’ve read Romans 8:31 a hundred times. Maybe five hundred. Yet whenever I stop and think about what it says, I am blown away. Not only are you “for” humanity in general, but y ou are also “for” me. You are on my side. My side! What a wonder! It’s amazing enough that you even think about me, that I matter to you. But the fact that you are for me in a profound way is truly astounding.

When I face opposition, may I have confidence in the fact that you are on my side. May I turn to you for wisdom, for direction, for encouragement, for safety. Help me, Lord, not to be afraid, but to trust in you each and every day.

Gracious God, even as you are for me, I pray that I might be for you. May I live my life for your purposes and glory. May I seek to honor you in all that I do, at work and at play, at home and at church, in my private life and public life. In the name of Jesus, who proves that you are for me, Amen.