I will often pass over an exceptionally familiar verse or chapter when I
come across it in my quiet time with the Lord simply because it is so
familiar. Perhaps I have momentary amnesia concerning the Lord's ability to
use his word any way he wants to in my heart and for whatever application is
necessary.  So a couple of mornings ago, I was in Romans 8.  The temptation
was to skip over it, for after all, I committed that chapter to memory many
years ago.  But I read it anyway, reaping a rich harvest.  As I was
thinking, yes, I know all that, the Lord gave me a shocking revelation.
Maybe it shouldn't have been, and it wasn't really new knowledge; just
timeless and eternal truth, newly applied.  You who are reading this will
probably say, "Duh, and this hasn't dawned on you yet?"

In verse 35, the question is asked "who shall separate us from the love of
Christ?" Then there are the jewels in verses 36 and 37.  But verses 38 and
39 go on to say, For I am persuaded that  neither death nor life, nor angels
nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those things like death, life, angels,  principalities and powers, things
present or things to come, height, depth or any other created thing seem so
general, but the principle is there.  What if we substitute words like loss
of job, illness, the feelings of loneliness, the misunderstanding of
blindness, loss of a close family member or friend, loss of a beloved guide
dog or pet, mothering a child who seems to be testing every limit and
breaking his mom and dad's heart all the while, the process of aging, a
crumbling marriage, a mind which has been fragmented due to months or years
of physical and mental abuse, deep unfulfilled personal desires and longings
seldom expressed, the disappointment of unmet expectations of self or
others, and so on .    What about those other created beings, fallen angels.
Can they separate us from Jesus's love?  So by personalizing these verses,
they might read something like:
I am persuaded that  neither loss of job, nor physical illness, nor voice
box that doesn't function properly, nor ears that don't hear well, the
intense feelings of loneliness, nor misunderstanding of blindness by sighted
persons, nor loss of a husband or wife, nor loss of a beloved guide dog or
long time special pet, nor bill collectors, nor unfair treatment by others,
nor parenting when parenting isn't a joy but a heart break,nor coming face
to face with the effects of aging on body and mind, nor crumbling marriage
shall be able to separate  me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.  What else do you guys want to add in here for things that would
attempt to separate us from his love?

Now just what kind of love is that which hangs on to us despite these
circumstances and regardless of our own personal thoughts and feelings?
It's a love found only in Jesus Christ who is supremely the Lord of our
lives.  It's a love which is indescribable, unchangeable unshakable,
transcending any human love we might know or experience, full of absolute
goodness.  It sets boundaries for us, calls us his own, is nurturing and
affirming, sacrifices and gives, hurts when we hurt, is sad with us when
we're sad, and causes us to rejoice.  This love suffers long and is kind; it
does not envy; does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave
rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not
rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
And, on top of everything else, it never fails.  (1 Cor. 13:5:8)

Interesting that the Romans writer says he is persuaded or convinced that
nothing can separate us from this great love, which has very personal
application for each one of us.  Becoming persuaded requires a persuader.
Becoming convinced requires a convincer, the power of convincers and
persuaders, saved for part two.  There's no way we can lose connected with
this kind of love.