Groaning

 May 19, 2022

I am an unabashed purveyor of Dad jokes and puns which were the delight of my children both then and now. Actually, that sentence is only half true. They called them “Groaners.”

In Romans 8, Paul uses that word three times, admittedly in a different context, first referring to Creation, then to us, and lastly, to the Holy Spirit. His first mention of the term describes what we call the natural world. “We know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (v.22). Urban sentimentalists often think of the natural world in idealistic and unrealistic ways, imagining that if somehow we could go back to Nature, all would be well. They’ve not seen a lion bring down a wildebeest, ripping flesh from its struggling body. Those who decry hunting haven’t seen a whitetail deer starving through a bitter winter. They blanche when the neighbor’s cat catches a bird at their feeder. There is a literal groaning in the world around us as the earth literally heaves with volcanos, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, floods, and blizzards.

We humans echo that groaning, knowing there is more to life than this world can give. We experience joy and pleasure, but also sorrow and pain. As we age, our bodies begin to betray us, and the inhumanity of mankind is evident for all to see. Our capacity for evil seems to grow deeper with each passing day, and we groan for something better, even if we cannot put our finger on what that might be. As Christians, we know there is more, and look to the day of resurrection when these bodies are finally transformed for eternity. “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (v. 23).

Best of all is the knowledge that God fully understands our longings, even when we can’t quite put words to them. There have been many times when I’ve not known how to pray. There is a groaning inside me—an almost physical ache that I can’t explain. I am grateful that when I cannot find the words for my prayers, God knows. The Holy Spirit understands my spirit, and takes these feeble prayers, interprets and improves them till they glow with a spiritual light I myself do not possess. And even better, Jesus himself is praying for us. Hebrews 7:25 tells us Jesus is always praying for us. When Jesus prays and the Holy Spirit edits and improves my prayers laboring to the point of groaning, how can such prayers be ignored by the Father? If he wouldn’t be inclined to listen to me, he’s not going to ignore his Son and the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (v.26).

Sometimes when carrying a heavy weight, we groan. Sometimes the weight of prayer is almost too heavy as we groan in our souls. But whatever weight we carry, it will someday be overshadowed by an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17), which is weighty in significance and value, but easy to bear because it is borne by Christ in us, which is our glorious hope (Colossians 1:27).