The Pastor's Pen

          The Apostle Paul goes on to say that believers also groan inwardly as we wait for what God has promised (Romans 8:23). This has been true in my own life. I have learned that unfinished work does not mean failed promises. There have been seasons where answers were delayed, outcomes were unclear, and progress felt slow. Yet those seasons did not undo what God had spoken. They clarified it. Waiting exposed what I trusted most. It deepened my dependence on God rather than weakening it. I discovered that faith does not always sound confident; sometimes it sounds like a quiet endurance that refuses to let go of hope.

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          Paul’s teaching makes it clear that groaning does not cancel faith. In fact, it often accompanies it. Groaning is not unbelief; it is faith that knows there must be more. It is the honest response of someone who trust God enough to admit that things are not yet right. I have found that my groaning did not push God away but drew me closer. Scripture reminds us that God is not offended by our cries. As the psalmist declares, “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications” (Psalm 116:1). God hears every cry and takes seriously every groan.

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          Paul also teaches that hope grows in waiting, not in instant fulfillment (Romans 8:24-25). This has been my lived experience. When answers came slowly, hope did not disappear; it became sturdier. Waiting stripped away shallow expectations and replaced them with trust in God’s character. Hope that survives waiting is anchored in the faithfulness of God rather than the speed of outcomes. Paul assures believers that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8”26). When I did not know how to pray, I trusted that the Spirit did. When my words failed, God’s purposes did not. This truth brings deep comfort: even incomplete prayers are fully heard. Even wordless groans are carried before God.

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          Beloved, I invite you to acknowledge what is still unresolved while trusting God’s ongoing work. The presence of tension does not mean the absence of grace. The delay does not mean denial. Creation groans. We groan. The Spirit intercedes, and God remains faithful. I love the Lord. He heard my cry, and He has regard for every groan.