Praying The Scriptures: Romans 8:28-39

Another wonderful way to get to know your Lord more deeply and more intimately is to pray, or pray-read, the Scriptures. This is an ancient practice within the Christian tradition, with many contemporary practitioners throughout the ranks of the Christian Church.

In this particular form of this exercise, I will draw from some inspiration the Lord gave me through a teaching from Frank Viola in one of his messages on his Deeper Christian Life Network.

The gist of this exercise involves pray-reading, rewording and reciting Romans 8:28-39 as something of a love letter and word of reassurance from God the Father to you (and me), the individual believer.

Here's my particular interpretation (based loosely on the rendering found in the Legacy Standard Bible):

Starting now with Romans 8:28:

“Thomas, you know that, for those who love Me – and that includes you – I make everything in your day, everything in your life, work together for good, for those I have called according to My purpose.

“Because those whom I foreknew – and that includes you – I also predestined to become conformed to the image of My Son, so that My beloved Son, in whom and with whom I am so very well pleased, would be the firstborn among so many brothers as to be as countless as the sands of the sea.

“And those whom I predestined – and that includes you – I also called unto Me; and those whom I have called unto Me, I also justified; and those whom I justified, I also glorified.

“What then shall anyone possibly say to these wondrous things that I now have revealed in and through Christ Jesus your Lord? If I am for you – and Thomas, know that I am – who could possibly be against you? Who? Who indeed!

“Consider that I, who did not spare My own precious Son – my only begotten Son – but delivered Him over for all of you, how will I not also with Him now graciously, lovingly, lavish all good things upon you?

“Who could possibly bring a charge or accusation against My own elect? And yes, Thomas, that includes you. Who could bring a charge against you when it is I myself who has justified you – and have done so before the very foundation of the world?

“Who is the one that could possibly condemn, when only I am the one true judge of the cosmos, and only I am in the position to condemn? 

“According to My will and good pleasure, and for the joy set before Him, My own beloved Son laid down His life and took it up again – for you and the rest of your brethren. I raised Him and He ascended to sit at my right hand, where even now He also intercedes for you – He who came into the world not to condemn the world but to save the world.

“Who or what then could possibly separate you from My love? Will affliction? No. Will turmoil? No. Will persecution? No. Will famine? No. Will nakedness? No. Will peril? No. Will sword? No.

“Even if you are put to death all day long, you will not be separated from Me. For in all of these things, remember, Thomas, you overwhelmingly conquer through He who loves you.

“Be convinced that nothing: not death, not life, not angels, not rulers, not things that were, not things that are, not things that will be, not powers, not principalities, not high places, not low places, not any created thing I brought into being, will ever be able to separate you from the love of your God which is in Christ Jesus, my beloved Son and your beloved Lord and Savior.

“Do you believe this? Believe it!”

Saints, believe it. This really is a forever thing.

May the Lord bless your experience with this exercise unto a deepening relationship with Him.