These past few weeks have revealed some present suffering in our spiritual family and we have to remind ourselves it is temporary compared to eternity. Pain is real and we cannot minimize it, but like the whole of creation we all need restoration from God and He is still working on us.
In our passage today, the Apostle Paul reminds us of this restoration God is doing. He is healing us and for those who love God and are called according to his purpose and will, He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). The Spirit intercedes for us, because He knows the will of God and can pray accordingly.
So, if you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or discouraged, take heart and trust God. Invite the Holy Spirit to pray for you and help you when you are feeling weak or uncertain. God loves you; trust Him.
Romans 8:18-24, 26-27 NLT The Future Glory
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 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. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Prayer: Lord, we go through different seasons of struggles and discouragement. Life requires great faith. Thank You for understanding how we feel and for giving us the Holy Spirit who prays for us to press on and seek Your perfect will. We trust You, Lord, please deliver us from evil and keep us filled with the Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.