The Greeks of Paul’s time used the word translated as powers to refer either to mighty deeds such as miracles or to people in positions of authority. Authority is a good and necessary thing to maintain order, enforce law, and to manage activities and organizations efficiently. But anywhere you have authority, you have the potential for tyranny, whether it’s in the workplace, in government, or, sadly, even in the church. Lord Acton’s truism, “Power tends to corrupt,” is continually operative in this fallen world.

I suspect that almost everyone has experienced these abuses of authority—managers who take credit for their employees’ ideas or squelch promotions in order to keep productive employees in their own departments. Much worse, we’re aware of heads of governments who rule capriciously, forcing citizens into labor camps, dictating the size of their families, or inflicting brutal punishment without trials. People enduring such afflictions may question whether God has abandoned them. Rest assured, He has not. There is no power in this world or in this universe that can prevent the flow of God’s love.

Paul ends his list of things that cannot stop God from loving us with a handy catch-all phrase, “nor any other created thing.” This closes off any possible loophole in the list. Here Paul tells us not to bother racking our minds to uncover some possible obstacle that could block God’s love. Such a thing does not and cannot exist. In fact, Paul’s list is so inclusive that it encompasses all of God’s created reality. So the bottom line is this: There is nothing in all His creation that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It’s easy to believe God’s love is intact when all is going well, but when bad things happen even Christians sometimes begin to conclude, If He really loved me, He wouldn’t have allowed this thing to happen. When we entertain this thought, we slip into the error of thinking that God’s love means protection from serious trouble.

The answer to this age-old problem of suffering is really quite simple; but when we’re in the throes of sorrow or deep trouble, emotion overpowers our knowledge and it’s easy to doubt. Because of this human tendency, it’s worthwhile to remind you again of what I’ve already noted in this chapter: We all must travel through valleys of pain and despair. But even when we walk through the deepest valley, God’s love remains intact. He is there with us at every step. You won’t be aware of Him unless you train your eyes of faith. Even then you may not understand why you must suffer. But if you remember His promise in Romans 8, you can rest assured that God is loving you even in the deepest valley. He will protect you from spiritual harm and see you through the darkness.