Our Current Suffering, Romans 8:18-27, April 25, 2020
Suffering in this world is something that is so prevalent and we have experienced it our own lives, observed it in our loved ones, and are watching it in our world. In this portion of Scripture Paul addresses the very real problem of suffering and pain. Three different entities are shared that are "groaning" due to the suffering in our world.
Creation is the first to groan. When God created our world he said it was good. Today it is groaning due to the suffering,death, pain and decay in our world that resulted from Adam's sin. But the groaning is not a useless thing according to Paul, it is a pain that will end when creation is delivered at Christ's coming and all things are made new again. As believer's we are not to concentrate on today's sufferings but to look toward the glory that is to come.
As believers we also groan because we have tasted a small part of the blessing of God through the Holy Spirit and desire the fullness of God in our lives that can only come when all things are made new. We want a redeemed body. We want to see Jesus face to face. But the key word that Paul shares with us is HOPE! It is a hope that we wait for patiently and it will not disappoint us.
The third person groaning is the Holy Spirit. This may seem a little strange to us but in verses 26 and 27 there is a power packed message--the Spirit helps us in our weakness! The Spirit helps us to pray through on those things that burden our hearts and the sufferings we experience. The Holy Spirit is interceding for us and is helping us to pray. Often we may not always know how to pray, but the Spirit prays for us to have the strength we need to serve the Lord faithfully. The Spirit of God shares our burdens!
We are not alone in our suffering! Remember that we are not alone in this time of STAY AT HOME. God is with us--Jesus is praying for us--and the Holy Spirit is giving us the hope, love, and strength we need to offer our prayers to God! We look forward to that day when Jesus returns, our suffering comes to an end, and the full glory of God is revealed in our lives!