Monday Devotional: May 13, 2024

Bible Reading: Romans 8:22-27 (CEB)

²² We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now. ²³ And it’s not only the creation. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free. ²⁴ We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience. ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. ²⁷ The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will.

Waiting is hard. Waiting for God is particularly difficult, especially as the whole of creation seems to groan in pain. We hear of violence, political unrest, and injustice all around us. We witness continued degradation of the part of creation we inhabit. And we cry for and with that pain. In those moments, the redemptive work of God seems like hope without a timeline—waiting for it with patience seems impossible. That is until we come to appreciate the analogy of labor pains signaling that we are waiting not for an ultimate end but for the birth of something new.

I’m reminded that we can also find ourselves in difficult times waiting for God to give us direction to a new path. In those long stretches when you wait for God, can you relate to the words of the author of Romans? Do you have moments when it seems you no longer know how to pray? In those moments, hearing that the Spirit’s sighs are “too deep for words” is a source of comfort rather than despair.

The Spirit does not provide comfort by taking away all my questions or doubts. The Spirit does not always arrive with ready answers. Rather, the Spirit comes along and intercedes for me to help me give a name to all those hopes, dreams, and, yes, fears that I have while I wait for God’s gracious and loving guidance.

Prayer

God of eternity, may the Spirit come along beside me, interceding to disrupt my impatience and inviting me to speak my greatest needs. Amen.

By Kevin Henderson, The Upper Room Disciplines 2024, page 164.

Bible Study

Stories of the Spirit

Bible Readings: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b, Romans 8:22-27

ZOOM Session

Monday, May 13, 2024, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
For Zoom Link, send email to [email protected]

IN PERSON Session

Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Conference Room, McGee Building