We Also Groan

Day 204: Romans 8:9-25

“...all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” - Romans‬ ‭8:22-23‬

We all identify with the word “groan” that is found in these verses. It is the Greek word stenazō, and it can also be translated as to sigh, complain, or moan. Nida and Louw, in their Greek Lexicon, explain that the word expresses, “to groan or sigh as the result of deep concern or stress.”

Are you feeling that “concern or stress” as you take a look at our world today? You are not alone. Christians for 2000 years have also been sighing over the state of our world and longed for renewal.

We have the Holy Spirit now, but we will one day experience our “full rights.”

In light of the context of Romans 8, maybe you're groaning today because you're not where you want to be personally. Keep in mind that you are a child of God, adopted into his family. We aren't to groan because we've lost hope. We are to "sigh, complain, or moan" because we know that what is to come (heaven) is better than anything we can experience here.

Come, Lord Jesus.