Romans 9-10
 Paul's heart is so broken for his fellow Jews that he would go under the curse for them.  They had the covenants.  They had the promises. They had the Law.  And, they had the Messiah.
But many would not believe or trust in Jesus.

Paul explains how this has always been and will always be...
God chose Abraham's son Isaac and not Ishmael.
God chose Jacob and not Esau.
God is sovereign..  "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will pity whom I pity."  He declared.

God's people are chosen.  
They cannot be born into His kingdom by being a descendant of Abraham.
They cannot earn their way into the kingdom by their works or the Law.
The only way is God's way - through faith - and that is not something we can manufacture on our own initiative -

We cannot believe unless we hear the Word of God.
We cannot hear unless someone proclaims Him.
No one can proclaim Him, unless they are sent - by God. 

Only those who hear the Word and call on the name of the Lord can be saved.
We must hear the Word and put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, publicly acknowledging  Him as Lord and trusting in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.

The Word tells us that God loves us and is near to us.  We can find Him if we seek Him.  We will find that His arms are open wide to receive us to Himself.  We must make the choice to call on His Name, to trust His Word, and to proclaim with our mouths that He is Lord. 

"For with the heart one goes on trusting and thus continues toward righteousness, while with the mouth one keeps on making public acknowledgment and thus continues toward deliverance." (v10)

Father, there are people that we know and love.. who are stumbling over the Rock.. not trusting in the salvation purchased by Jesus Christ our Lord.. and we pray for their ears to be opened, so that they will hear the Word and call on Your name and be saved.  O, Gracious and Merciful Father, have mercy on them and send forth workers into Your harvest field to bring many more of our brothers and sisters to faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord.  We ask this in His mighty Name, Amen.