Groaning - there’s better yet to come…
Romans 8:18-25
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Do you feel like things just aren’t the way they’re supposed to be? Nature isn’t the way it’s supposed to be - there are hurricanes, tornadoes, and all the other types of natural disasters. Animals become extinct, the environment is deteriorating… The creation itself is decaying, just as verse 21 says.
Then there’s the world and society as a whole. We look at crime, children being neglected and abused, families broken, drug and alcohol abuse, extreme poverty, illness and disease, and merciless, cruel dictators, to name a few. Life is clearly not the way it was designed to be.
Although it’s terribly frustrating to experience, we shouldn’t be surprised. God said that it would happen like this. The creation itself is groaning, waiting to be restored to its original design. We as believers are groaning as well, waiting for the culmination of God’s plan for us and the world. Even our very bodies remind us that there is better coming - whether it’s minor aches and pains or major disease and illness.
This is our hope - that God will fulfill His promises to us and bring lasting justice and peace. We are frustrated and disappointed at what we see because we know that it’s not supposed to be like this. But God will restore the creation itself as well as ourselves and society to be once again as He created us to be.
What troubles you most?
- child abuse?
- sexual exploitation of others?
- crime?
- plight of refugees?
- poverty?
- mental illness?
- broken families?
- abused animals?
- pollution?
- creatures driven to extinction?
- our deteriorating environment?
I could go on… Those things trouble you because in your heart you know it’s not the way it’s supposed to be.
Journal
What aspects of our broken selves and world are the most frustrating to you? How does it help to remember that God will restore everything to the way it’s supposed to be?
For more insight on these verses: