Though George Matheson was physically blind, his spiritual vision was 20/20. Those who trust in the ways and purposes of God will be strengthened in the present and prepared to face whatever the future holds. Suffering is inevitable; it comes to everyone. But only those who live in the certainty that God’s love will never let them go are able to accept with confidence and assurance both the troubles of the present and the troubles that may come tomorrow.

Not the Pinnacle of Heaven or the Pit of Hell

… nor height nor depth…

Here Paul uses the terms “height” and “depth” to describe the unlimited scope of God’s love. What does this mean? Imagine traveling multimillions of light-years straight up into deep space until you reach the outer edge of the Milky Way galaxy. It’s impossible that the suns or nebulae or novas you would see out there would pose any threat to God’s love for you. Neither would you find such a threat if you turned around and drilled downward to the hot core at the center of the earth. Although it’s unclear, whether or not this merism refers to physical space or to a specific reality, that does not mean it is any less true. In fact, it may mean it is so true—or true in so many ways—that Paul uses the nonspecific terms “height” and “depth” to allow the truth to be applied to many circumstances.

There are heights and depths in every life that could affect one’s awareness of God’s love. A person who inherits ten million dollars would likely reach a height of self-sufficiency that could easily drive out all thoughts of God. Or he could suddenly go bankrupt and be convinced that God does not love him. Another could achieve positions or accomplishments that would lift his pride to the heights. Or he could have failures that would plunge him into the depths of despair. A successful athlete’s physical prowess could put him at the height of his profession, or a serious injury could lower him to the depths of perpetual disability. We find potential threats to our confidence in God’s love in both our highs and our lows.

In all such cases, the love of God is intact at the heights, even though the person’s attention may be far from God. And His love is intact at the depths, when the person believes God must have abandoned him.

As Psalm 139 tells us, there’s nowhere we can go to get beyond God’s love. Or, in the words of heavyweight champion Joe Louis, we can run, but we can’t hide. God has every inch of the universe covered. He made it, He is the landlord of it, and His love is deeper and wider than all dimensions of His creation.

Not Anything Mighty or Anything Made

… nor powers… nor any other created thing…