Romans 8:18-27 – Moans and Groans

The world is in a mess. I think everyone would agree with that. But this is nothing new; it’s always been in a mess. Some of us may look back to the past and think about the “good old days,” but there were plenty of problems back then, too. Others of us look to the future with hopes of how we’ll find a way to get out of our problems. But every time we’ve tried to follow these optimistic dreams in the past, things didn’t turn out as we’d hoped. We may solve some problems, but we seem to come upon (or cause) new ones in the process. No matter where or when you look at, things stink. The only thing that changes is the odor.

(And don’t even get me started on the politicians who are courting our votes by promising that the world will turn into a paradise if only we elect them. We’ve been around the block enough times to know how that usually turns out.)

Do I sound cynical and pessimistic? Perhaps. Of course, a pessimist would say that they’re just being realistic. And I think that’s the case here. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the garden, we’ve lived in a world under a curse: the curse of sin. It’s a curse that the human race has suffered under ever since. And with us, the rest of creation as well.

However, it wouldn’t quite be accurate to call this a pessimistic view of the world. Because there’s a message of hope among it all. The time is going to come when the curse will be lifted and, as Paul put it, “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom.” That liberation has already begun through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the new life of God has broken into the world. The promise has not totally been fulfilled yet, of course. If it was, then earth would be paradise and believers would be perfect. We have a hint of what is to come. And that’s the basis for Christian hope.

I need to interrupt here with a comment about Christian hope. Hope, for us, is more than wishful thinking. So often we speak about hope in terms such as “I hope the Steelers will win tomorrow,” or “I hope I get a pony for Christmas.” When we feel really confident, we may replace the word “hope” with the word “expect.” Then we say things like “I expect to graduate this spring,” or “I expect to see my brother this weekend.” When we say things like this, it indicates that we are doing more than wishing; we believe that our wishes will come true. We give ourselves better odds of it happening when we talk about “expecting” instead of “hoping.” But Christian hope is something completely different. It is a certainty that the future is real. It is so real that we can talk about it as though it has already happened. And it is the power of that already-happened future which reaches back into the present that gives us, well, hope. It’s a hope that drives us to move toward that future. It’s a hope that claims a reality which hasn’t yet happened, but which as certain as things from history that no one disputes: like the American Revolution and World War II.

So this message really isn’t pessimistic after all: it’s a optimistic as you can get. A wonderful, glorious future is on the way. We know that it is. We know it so strongly that we can already start to celebrate it.

So we do some celebrating, but we have some other things to deal with as well. As sure as the future is, the present still has a ton of problems and causes acres of grief. We know the dawn is coming, but the night is still so dark. So what do we do in the meantime?

This passage talks about moans and groans. Verse 22 tells us that all of creation is groaning under the burden of sin, evil, death, suffering, and brokenness that it must endure. Like Psalm 13, we cry out, “How long, O Lord?” No matter how optimistic we may be about the future, we have to be honest about the present situation. We’re still waiting for our vindication and victory. It’s not just us humans; it’s the entire creation that God placed under our care (Genesis 1:29-30).

There’s another kind of groaning, too. Verses 26-27 are a powerful testimony to the fact that the future is not merely a distant promise that we’re living toward. Even in the midst of our “in-the-meantime,” God walks with us. These verses are perhaps the most powerful explanation of the prayer relationship in the entire Bible. As we struggle with our weaknesses, our sin, our suffering – the evil we endure and the evil we cause – we are so overwhelmed that we can’t even speak. Words fail us. Language evaporates. We don’t even know what to say to God, or how to express our dilemma. That’s about as bad as it gets: not even being able to put your suffering into words! So, you’d think we have a real problem. The gift of prayer means that God will listen to anything we say to him. But what do we do when things are so bad that we can’t even say anything?

God’s love for us is so strong, and his future victory is so certain, that he steps in to join us in our deepest crises. The poem “Footprints in the Sand” tells us that God carries us when we can’t walk. But these verses tell us that God speaks for us when we can’t speak. God offers our prayers for us when we aren’t able to.

And notice what kind of prayers these are that the Spirit lifts up: “groans that words cannot express.” Just as Jesus joined with humanity in the worst of our suffering and sin, the Spirit carries the agony of life in a broken and hurting world that we must face as well. The groans of creation in verse 22 become the groans of the Holy Spirit, who prays for us when we can’t pray anymore.

It’s a wonderful future that we’re “hoping” for. It’s so wonderful that the Spirit walks and prays with and for us until it comes.