Find Hope When You Are Groaning

Romans 8:22-27 NIV 

[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. [26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.22-27.NIV)

Last night, at time of writing, there was an outpouring of rage across many UK cities. Its cause was a brutal stabbing a few nights ago in Belfast. The perpetrator was an asylum seeker who had been given leave to remain in the UK. While there is little doubt that what he did was heinous and evil, the outpouring of rage was equally wrong. Those right wing protesters were intimidating and involved in assault and criminal damage. They were little more than thugs out to cause trouble.  

One violent man sparked a tinder box of racist rage. 

That rage is, of course, always wrong. There is nothing right about it. Violent acts are never justified, no matter the cause and no matter who does them. 

But when rage occurs, it is a symptom that something is fundamentally wrong. That wrong thing might not be immigration rules or administration or anything like that. It could also be a sign of a fundamental sickness in society that needs to be challenged. 

We live in a fallen world. That much is painfully true. Every day feels like we are just about managing the chaos around us, and sometimes inside us. 

The church has historically not been good at handling the fallen-ness of human beings, both inside and outside of its doors. Outside, we have often given ourselves to righteous, but hypocritical, condemnation. Inside, we have covered up and denied wrongdoing so painfully flagrant and awful that it has brought shame to the Gospel. 

What we have here is an astonishing passage that talks of our reaction to the wrongdoing and pain and chaos around us – our pained moaning. 

Life is not what it should be or what it could be. That much is absolutely certain. I am writing this as my extended family is dealing with a health scare and the decline of old age, our travel to see them is being disrupted by the fuel crisis and labour disputes, my work is taken up with fixing someone else's badly failing project, my wife is struggling with uncooperative clients, my mother’s health is poor, my sister is trying hard to avoid homelessness for her and her two autistic children and our utility bills are rising. 

I'm aware that many people have a far harder life than mine. 

But I am groaning. I'm sure you are too. 

What we see in this short passage is pivotal to understanding of our groans and our aches. It sets them in context. It explains why they exist.  

It explains why one day they will be no more. 

So let’s start looking at Our Groans. 

 

Our Groans 

Romans 8:18-21 NIV 

[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. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.18-21.NIV)

Life can be tremendously, maddeningly, insanely frustrating. When we need to do something but we can’t, or go somewhere but we can’t. When all the stop lights are red and the computers are saying ‘No'. When red tape has us tied up like a hostage and paperwork has us buried under a small forest. 

It hurts. 

I've been there. I'm sure we all have. 

It’s this frustration that builds up into rage. Or despair. 

These verses explain why.  

We might not like it, but we need to know. 

This world isn’t perfect because that is what we need it to be. We need an imperfect world because without it we would not long for a perfect world. If our finite world was so perfect, we would have no desire for the infinite.  

But we do: 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV 

[11] He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/ecc.3.11.NIV)

Look at what the verses from Romans. Note that we long for future. 

We see that our future is better than our present. The groaning, the longing, the frustration, the angst that we feel come from knowing that this world is far from perfect, from knowing that better is out there, but it isn’t quite here. 

1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV 

[9] However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.2.9.NIV)

That is what we feel deep pangs of longing for. 

But we also see that the world longs for our future. 

And this is really astonishing.  

The world around us experiences the same frustrations. They are a reminder to them that this world is not all there is. But for them, what they long for is permanently out of reach. 

For us, it is not. One day we will have all that God has promised. 

These verses state that the people of this world long to know who we truly are – the children of God – because we are able to lead them out of the world of decay and entropy and death into everlasting life. 

That seems like quite a thing to say. 

But in essence what it means is that they have the problem; we have the solution. They want to have the solution. They need to know who has it. So by extension, they want to know us.

When they realise, their cry is a bit like the Philippian jailor: 

Acts 16:29-30 NIV 

[29] The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. [30] He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.16.29-30.NIV)

We may suffer frustration and hurt and pain, but we know it will end. The people of this world do not. 

We have the answer they need. 

So yes, we groan. But we do not despair like the people of this world despair, because we know our groaning is only temporary and our eternity will far outlive it. 

Now Paul writes about three beings who groan. When we hear who it is who groans, these truths are just tremendously encouraging. The first of these is, as we have said, The Whole Creation. 

The Whole Creation 

Romans 8:22 NIV 

[22] We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.22.NIV)

Have you ever been to a place that you could almost hear groaning? 

I have travelled through the corn and sunflower fields of southern Romania during a drought. Also among the olive groves of Tunisia where only a little rain had fallen in five years. Or through paddy fields in the Philippines flooded by a tropical storm. 

That kind of natural devastation is incredibly hard to face, especially when you put yourself in the place of the farmers who had worked so very hard for hardly any return. 

We all know the science of environmentalism and how they say mankind has harmed and is harming the planet. I am not an expert so I am not going to either support or deny it. 

We also know how capitalism has ravaged large parts of countries in Asia, where rivers are polluted beyond human use and people struggle to breathe because their air has been poisoned. 

That is indisputable.  

What we see here in this verse doesn’t just refer to people groaning. It goes so much further. 

It refers to all God’s creation, from the tiniest amoeba to the largest mammal, groaning because they live in a fallen universe where life is far from okay. It speaks of the universal impact of sin: how all of creation has been damaged by one man and one woman's disobedience. 

This reminds us that sin is never a victimless crime. Its blast zone is far wider than we could ever imagine. 

Why does it groan? Is it because of the environment? War? Disease? Corruption? Politics? 

No. It groans because all of creation finds itself on the wrong side of the fence and on the wrong side of town. 

Colossians teaches us this about Jesus: 

Colossians 1:15-20 NIV 

[15] The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/col.1.15-20.NIV)

That reconciliation, as Paul wrote, took place on the cross. However, the final effects of this reconciliation will only fully be felt when we have a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1), and the forces opposed to this reconciliation are finally defeated. 

Creation groans because it longs for that day. 

But here’s the thing: we are the agents of that reconciliation. We are the ones who increase its effects: 

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NIV 

[16] So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [20] We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. [21] God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2co.5.16-21.NIV)

We are the answer to that groan. 

Why? 

Because we know the truth. Because we believe the Gospel. Because we are the vessels God has chosen to take salvation to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). 

Creation longs for us because it has the questions and we have the answers. 

But creation is not the only entity that groans: We Groan. 

We Groan 

Romans 8:23-25 NIV 

[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. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.23-25.NIV)

My daughter hit on idea that she thought would be amusing. When she was small and her and I were on a short train journey to Glasgow, she would sometimes ask repeatedly, ‘Are we there yet?’  

She knew we weren’t. She just liked to see my reaction when she asked it for the tenth time in a minute. 

That is an instinct we have as Christians. We know this world is not all there is. We know there is something better. We long for it because we are not there yet. That is why we groan, and ask if we are there yet.

As Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 NIV 

[1] For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. [2] Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, [3] because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. [4] For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. [5] Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. [6] Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. [7] For we live by faith, not by sight. [8] We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. [9] So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2co.5.1-10.NIV)

There is something profoundly odd about this life. If we are happy with our substandard lot and settle for life as it is, we don’t groan anymore. But that is actually a problem, because when we settle for life here, we have no longing for a better life.  

We stop groaning, but we also stop longing. 

In fact, we just stop. 

Our frustrations and angst at life as it is now are actually not a bad thing, they are a good thing. These feelings are supposed to drive us on to improve our lives here and give us a drive to be with Jesus forever in Heaven. They are supposed to help us to identify with those who are acutely aware of life’s imperfections and feel the sting of its fallen-ness, but have no idea where they can find something better. 

Our dissatisfaction at life here could be a great evangelistic tool if we just stopped complaining and started yearning for heaven. 

So Christians moan. Anyone who has been to a church meeting will know that for sure. But we don’t moan at or about each other. We moan because this life is wrong; we moan because we know it could be better; we moan because we are not home yet; we moan because we long to be there. 

And those groans are right and fully justified. 

And put there by God. 

So we have seen, then, that all of creation groans and we moan with it. The last entity that groans may be something of a surprise to us: The Holy Spirit Groans. 

The Holy Spirit Groans 

Romans 8:26-27 NIV 

[26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.26-27.NIV)

For years I worked as an interpreter and translator. My job was to take content in Romanian and translate its meaning into English, and then back again. I would take an idea or a concept, understand it and then communicate it in a way that could be understood by the other person.  

It’s not an easy job. But it is a necessary job. 

Imagine if you hired someone to be your interpreter for a high-flying business deal, or because you were in trouble overseas, and all they did was stand there and groan. 

You would probably want to fire them. 

Then we come to these verses. 

The stage is set for the Holy Spirit’s intervention in the throne room of Heaven. The Bible tells us that Heaven even falls silent to hear our prayers (Revelation 8:1-5).  

There it is: a truly privileged position. Silence to hear every word. 

And what does the Holy Spirit do? 

He groans! Not a word is offered – just wordless groans! 

I actually find this humbling. On many occasions, we are led to believe that our prayers must be wordy or performative, that there is some kind of magical formula in the words that we should use, even if Jesus told us very clearly this is not true: 

Matthew 6:5-8 NIV 

[5]  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. [6] But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. [7] And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.6.5-8.NIV)

Yet all our eloquent performance is just thrown away when the Holy Spirit takes our prayers to God and just groans! 

So why do we make the effort to be eloquent anyway? It’s not for God, is it? 

It’s all a performance for other people. It’s about showing off. We are praying to God as if He did not exist and we needed to show off our spirituality to those around us. 

But why is it that the Holy Spirit groans? 

Actually, this is quite wonderful. He is echoing our pain right there in the throne room of Heaven, where God hears and will act. It’s such a blessing to think that our prayers always have access there.  

So yes, we groan. Why wouldn’t we? Life is far from perfect. For some of us, it’s a lot worse than that. 

But we see here where those groans belong. They belong in the mouth of the Holy Spirit where they will receive a response. They belong at God’s feet in prayer. 

The next time you feel the bitter sting of angst at life not being all it could be, remember: God already knows. His Holy Spirit groans with you. 

And each day brings us to the day when you will not groan any more. 

Conclusion 

Romans 8:18-27 NIV 

[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. [26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.18-27.NIV)

When you are passing through a hard time, the attitude of other people can make it so much harder. People often don’t know what to say or do. They would love to say words that would act as a panacea and make it all go away.

Sometimes they just want to say something to make you go away. 

Often what they do say, no matter how well intentioned, is just so glib and superficial that it makes things worse. They clearly have no clue of how you feel because they have never experienced what you are feeling. 

If Romans 8 had been written by anyone else, that’s how we would treat it. Paul’s words here seem to be a cold and unemotional treatment of suffering. These verses are bookended by two extraordinary statements: 

Romans 8:18 NIV 

[18] I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.18.NIV)

Romans 8:28 NIV 

[28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.28.NIV)

In anyone else’s mouth, these words may seem crass and insensitive. Just like these: 

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NIV 

[16] Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2co.4.16-17.NIV)

Often people who are not suffering offer these verses to people who are suffering by way of encouragement: 

‘Don’t worry: your suffering is nothing compared to heaven. Don’t worry, God is working for your good in it. Don’t worry, it’s just light and momentary.’ 

Do you see it? 

But the man who wrote these words was suffering, and way more severely than any of us ever will. It is the Apostle Paul who wrote these words. This men felt first hand the ire of his own people who had rejected him and the Romans who hated him. Read again 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. There are few people more qualified than Paul to talk about what it means to suffer. 

It is this man who systemised and explained suffering for Christians, not so we could have a blunt cudgel for battering suffering people over the head to make them cheer up and smile, but so we could better understand what’s happening when we suffer and would not become unnecessarily discouraged. 

Look what he pointed out here. He explained that our groans are due to living in an imperfect, fallen world. For the Christian, we groan because we know this is not all there is and we know something better is coming but isn’t here yet. Non-Christians groan with existential despair because they long for something better but have no assurance it will ever come. 

Creation groans because it longs for its redemption. 

We groan because we long for our redemption. 

The Holy Spirit groans because He echoes our moans in the courts of Heaven before the King of Kings. 

What a lot of groaning! 

Now, I have been in the presence of people who constantly groan. I’m Scottish. It’s our other national sport, after football, rugby and drinking Irn Bru. But speaking as a Scot, there are fewer more irritating things that sitting with a bunch of groaners who have no solutions and just want to groan. 

The secret of this groaning is where it goes: to God in prayer. It is to Him that we cast our burdens, knowing that we cannot help ourselves because we do not have all the answers (1 Peter 5:5-7). We don’t just groan into the air, we direct our groans to the One who one day will do something about them. 

Life isn’t perfect. That is a fact. But every Christian can approach our imperfect life knowing that God is at work for our good even through the imperfections. 

And that it will end someday. 

That is the difference the Gospel makes. 

Isn’t it time you truly believed it? 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, You know about all my groans because You hear every one of them. You know I live in a fallen world where life is tough. Help me, I pray, to realise the core truths of these verses: that You are always working for my good, that You hear me and will act, and that my eternity will far eclipse anything I am going through now. Help me to truly believe the truths of the Gospel. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation 

• What do these verses teach about our suffering? Do you believe it? 

• Why do we groan? What is different about a Christian groaning and a non-Christian groaning? How can this help us share the Gospel? 

• Who groans with us? Why is this important?