The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Romans 9:30-33 (day seven)

Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. Romans 9:32

On paper it would appear that the Gentiles were less deserving to obtain righteousness than Israel. They had not pursued it or were particularly looking for it. Israel, on the other hand, was actively looking for and pursuing it. Why were they not given it then? They believed if they did enough right and good for God, then God would bestow righteousness upon them. It was entitlement, not faith.

This same attitude of entitlement is at work in modern christianity today. Works in and of themselves are not bad things, but works are the fruit of faith. Works do not produce fruit. Nor, do works produce righteousness. Yet, many Christians pull out their checklist when they are talking to God expecting God to bestow blessings upon them because they have done enough right and good. That is entitlement, not faith.

Thanks be to God that His righteousness is given to those who, on paper, are less deserving. May we as Christians (and Gentiles at that) pursue righteousness by building our faith.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Re:Verse passage – Romans 9:30-33 (day six)

Romans 9 is often reduced to a difficult discussion about election or a contrast between faith and works. But Paul’s larger question is this: Has God’s promise failed?

Paul’s answer is an emphatic no.

People stumbled, resisted, and failed. Pharaoh resisted God. Israel struggled to fulfill its calling. Many even stumbled over Israel’s own Messiah. Yet God continued carrying his promise forward, through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, a faithful remnant, and finally Jesus.

This is the righteousness of God revealed in the good news: God’s unwavering faithfulness to fulfill his covenant promises. Through Israel’s Messiah, Abraham’s promised blessing has reached the nations, and God’s work of renewing humanity and creation continues.

Romans 9 is certainly about faith in Jesus, but beneath our faith stands the deeper foundation of God’s faithfulness. We trust Jesus because God has proven himself trustworthy. When humanity resisted, God persisted. When his people stumbled, God did not abandon them. When sin threatened to derail the promise, God brought redemption through the Messiah.

 

Re:Verse passage – Romans 9:30-33 (day five)
“Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.”
It’s a picture and conversation that parents and grandparents of young children experience all the time. When offered help or guidance with a task or responsibility, a young child will reject and dismiss the help and guidance (grace) and demand that they do it themselves. Why? Maybe a couple of reasons. First, perhaps they want to say, “I did it on my own.”  I don’t want to share any of the credit or glory. Second, they really don’t think they need any help. (I got this) Or third, maybe they really don’t “believe” that the parent or one offering help can really help at all.
Maybe it’s more than a picture; perhaps it is a glimpse into the human heart. Selfish. Prideful. Non-trusting.  But faith undoes these lines of thinking. Faith reveals to us that we really do need help and guidance. Life and sin are bigger than me. It brings humility to say, “I don’t have to do this on my own.” (I want to give glory to God).  And ultimately, faith assures us that it is God who is faithful to do and accomplish what He has promised.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 9:30-33 (day four)

It puzzled me for a long time that Christ is described as a stumbling stone in this passage, quoting the prophet Isaiah. Jesus is a lot of things – the sacrificial lamb, the light of the world, the bread of life, the good shepherd – but a stumbling stone? Doesn’t this seem to paint Jesus in a negative light?

What the prophet is getting at here is that Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose in the world, is an inevitability. He is unavoidable. We may try our best in this earthly life to avoid him by not praying or attending church, but he is ultimately unavoidable. There will be a day when we stand before him. For those who try to find righteousness in themselves, who try to go about things in their own way, who maintain an evil, unbelieving heart, who look to themselves to try, and ultimately fail, to find fulfillment – to them Christ is a stumbling block. They encounter him with a stubborn heart and trip right over him, unwilling yield to his ways and grace.

But to those who recognize their own sin and inability to fulfill the law see him for who he really is. They encounter him in the road and rather than trip over him, they fall at his feet in praise. We all will encounter Christ standing in our path. Will he be our stumbling stone or our cornerstone?

Re:Verse passage – Romans 9:30-33 (day three)

The Mandate: An authoritative commission—traced from the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12) through the Great Commission—directing every believer and the global church to be a vehicle of blessing to unreached peoples. (From Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, next class this Spring 2027)

Romans 9:30–33 frames this mandate around faith: the Gentiles received righteousness by faith, while Israel stumbled by pursuing righteousness through works. This contrast shows that participation in God’s mission rests not on heritage or achievement, but on faith in Christ, the cornerstone.

God’s mission has never changed. Often referred to as Missio Dei, it remains constant throughout history: proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and redeeming humanity. From our limited place in the timeline, we may think mistakes were made, but God knew everything before time began. He always intended to save the world through His Messiah and establish His kingdom, though not in the way Israel’s leaders expected. God first chose Israel as His own possession; now, the rest of us are also chosen in Christ. Israel’s stumbling and downfall were prophesied and formed part of God’s plan. As a result, the rest of the world is invited to become part of God’s family through faith alone, by grace alone, and in Christ’s righteousness alone.

Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). In John 1:14, scholars note that Jesus became flesh and “tabernacled” among us. He is the new temple—not built by human hands, but made of living stones and founded on Christ, the Rock. Something greater than the temple in Jerusalem is here. Before Christ, people could enter the Most Holy Place only through an intermediary, and even then only once a year. To worship the God of all creation, the nations had to travel to Jerusalem. After Christ, however, the presence of the Most Holy One dwells within those who profess faith in Jesus and are born again. The nations no longer have to come to Jerusalem; instead, God’s people carry His Spirit wherever they go. His mission crosses borders and multiplies through His people. We are little tabernacles carrying God’s glory everywhere. Do you see what the Chief Cornerstone has built? It is a beautiful church that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against. Go into all the world and make disciples. That is what the church was built to do.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 9:30-33 (day two)

 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, v. 32

When you look at the law, particularly the commandments, where do you find grace? Don’t get me wrong, they were given by the God of Grace and Glory, but their intent was not mercy. Their intent was to be a plumb line for righteousness, and as such unattainable. No one is perfect. That is what the sacrificial system was for; to achieve atonement and forgiveness. Over time the law was viewed more as a merit system. Rather than helping people to see their need for forgiveness, it was viewed as a scorecard. This is a tendency that we all much acknowledge. We get so enamored with following the rules that we often forget why the rules were put in place. We take our eyes off the running of the race toward the giver of peace. The law has always served a purpose, but a pursuit of faith is where our assurance must lie.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:31-39  (day six)

Romans 8 is triumphant, but it is not naive or sentimental. Before Paul declares that nothing can separate us from God’s love, he describes three groans.

Creation groans under the weight of decay. We groan as we wait for the redemption of our bodies. And the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. This means groaning is not necessarily a failure of faith. It is often the honest language of people who know that the world is not yet as it should be, while still trusting that God is making all things new.

Sometimes suffering leaves us without the words to pray. But the Spirit does not wait for us to find the right words. He meets us in our weakness, carries our wordless prayers to the Father, and keeps turning our hearts toward resurrection.

Christian hope does not silence lament, heartache, or even anger in the middle of suffering; it gives each direction. We ache toward the freedom, healing, and glory God has promised.

When all you can do is groan, you are not alone, unheard, or abandoned. Even your groans are being gathered into God’s work of renewal.