Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on RomansClick here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook groupQuestions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible: 1. What do the verses say? 2. What's the backstory? What's the context? 3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage? What does it say? Paul has been building a logical argument over the course of Chapters 9, 10, and 11 to ultimately express his desires for all to be saved.What’s the backstory?At the beginning of Chapter 9 Paul sets the emotional tone for the letter. The whole tone of 9, 10, and 11 is from a place of grief and anguish for his community. This is not a tone of condemnation or anger, but a tone of sorrow. We begin to see another theme in 9, 10, and 11 which is mercy. He wants to convey to his beloved people that God is bigger than they think. What does it mean? God is God. There is mystery to the way he works, but there is clarity of what he wants us to know. When the mystery of God leads you to a place of anxiousness, you can lean back on the clarity of God. What does it mean for me? I may not know how all my sorrow is held together in Jesus, but I know that God is merciful, faithful, and has not let me down. If I don’t understand something, it does not mean that God doesn’t understand.Resources:Help! My Bible Is AliveFollow Nicole: Her Site | Facebook | InstagramEpisode Image Credit: Getty Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.