God’s program of salvation continues to advance regardless of how dark the times are.

Romans 11:2-3 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” I couldn’t help but notice that Paul said that God had not rejected His people whom He foreknew rather than simply saying He had not rejected His people. If you remember, in Rom 8:28-29, Paul wrote, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” God’s people are all those whom He foreknew and predestined before the foundation of the earth to be Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Regardless of how dark the times are in which we live and how hostile our culture is to truth and Jesus Christ, God has His people. We may, like Elijah, plead with God against the godless people in our nation and feel like we are alone. Paul’s point of encouragement for us from these verses is that God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew in Christ. Paul had told them that God is for them, and there are none who are against them who can separate them from God’s love in Christ. We will be encouraged more by the following verses where Paul encouraged his readers with God’s response to Elijah, but for today, be encouraged that regardless of how hostile and antichrist our world is, God’s program of salvation continues to advance. We are His people, the Israel of God’s foreknowledge, and if we have His Spirit and have experienced His love, we are participating in the advancement of God’s saving work on the earth. We belong to Him and He may put people in our paths today who are His, but have yet to believe in Christ. Let us love them with Jesus and share the gospel with boldness and confidence, knowing that whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com