Click on the image to see it full-screen.
Mangroves, south coast of New South Wales
Epistle of Paul to the 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.
Tomorrow, many Christian traditions celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the commemoration of that amazing bestowing of the Holy Spirit on the followers of Jesus, recorded in Acts 2. Later, Paul also received the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this passage he has described some of the ways in which God’s Spirit sustains life in followers of Jesus.
Despite having “the firstfruits of the Spirit”, Paul knew of the struggle in this world to remain focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. So much diverts my attention, not only in the world at large but also in my small day-to-day existence. Every one of us encounters illness, grief, injury, strife and disappointment. Like me, you can easily be distracted from the most important purpose of your life: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12: 30).
Here is the significance of the gift of God’s Spirit to all who set out to follow Jesus. We wait eagerly to be with the Lord forever but there is so much to endure in the interim. We groan, along with all of God’s creation, for justice to prevail and for all that is broken in this world to be set aright, made as God intended it from the beginning.
How do I pray for this? It seems too big for me to address. The challenge of aligning the wills of nine billion people with the will of their Creator is beyond my comprehension. Here the Spirit works for us. The Spirit knows the will of God the Father and will appeal on our behalf – but only in accordance with God’s perfect will. What a precious gift it is to receive the Spirit of God! Such a gift has to be treasured, nurtured, kept safe and kept secure within us.
“Do not quench the Spirit,” taught Paul (1 Thessalonians 5: 19), “ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4: 30). It appears that men and women may choose to ignore the Holy Spirit though he dwells within them, or to crush or to squeeze the Spirit’s influence away from their lives.
Let us resolve to be even more attuned to the “voice” of the Holy Spirit within us, to attend to what we “hear” and to obey. Let us more eagerly present our supplications to God, “through wordless groans” if necessary (verse 26), and let us continue to “hope for what we do not yet have, (waiting) for it patiently” (verse 25).