The Reason for our Groaning
We hate to wait, we want things immediate. We create fast foods, instant noodles and beverages. We invent slimming pills and body-contouring products that promise results in a week. We have internet technologies to help us obtain information within a second. We live in a world that seeks to erase “wait” altogether.
This attitude is also pervasive in the church. In his book “Jesus-driven ministry”, Dr Ajith Fernando observed that the church is very good at the theology of praise and power. The church often focuses on the tangible and the immediate like worship experience, healing and deliverance. Yet she has not balanced these with the theology of groaning.
The theology of groaning refers to waiting and longing for what that has not yet arrived or been received. When we look at the Scripture, we realise that it talks a lot about waiting and deferred fulfilment:
- “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” Ps 37:7
- “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isa 40:31
- “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Mat 5:4-6
- “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Rom 12:12
- “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Gal 6:9
Groaning is a key aspect of a Christian’s life because we live in the in-between zone whereby the kingdom of God is here and not yet here. The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God.
The kingdom of God is already here
When the Pharisees queried Jesus on the arrival of the kingdom of God, He answered them saying:
In this passage, Jesus Christ declared that the kingdom of God has already come and is in the midst of them. Jesus Christ is referring to Himself. He embodies the kingdom of God. He has ushered in the kingdom of God in His first coming.
When Christ died on the cross, His sacrificial death saved us from the penalty of our sins. We who were once enemies of God is now reconciled back to Him (Romans 5:10). We are no longer under the power of sin but under the reign of God (Romans 6:5-14). God adopted us as His children and send His Spirit to indwell us (Eph 1:5, 13). Thus the kingdom of God is now in the heart of every believer.
The kingdom of God is not here yet
Yet in another occasion, Jesus spoke a parable to overcome people’s erroneous expectation that the kingdom of God will arrive in His time on earth:
In this passage, Jesus reveals that the kingdom of God has not fully arrived yet. He is like the noble man in the parable who is going to a far country but will return again. As He returns, He will bring with Him the fullness of the kingdom of God. The whole earth will come under His reign (Phil 2:9-11).
Groaning in the in-between zone
While Christ's death and resurrection has freed the believers from the penalty of sin, the presence of sin remains in us and this world.
Believers continue to wrestle with the old self within them. Apostle Paul testified to this personal reality in Romans 7:21-23. Thus we groan because of the lingering presence of sin in us. Sin afflicts the lovers of God. Those who desire the kingdom of God struggle with the reality that sin still present in them. They long to be freed from their old self, they long to be fully under the reign of God.
We also groan because of the presence of sin in this world. Sadly, in this world we will witness lawlessness, injustice and oppression. Sinful men will inflict harm on others causing pain and suffering. The poison of sin can cause a man’s heart to be filled with all manner of unrighteousness, covetousness, malice, strife and deceit (Rom 1:28-31). When men choose not to subject themselves under the reign of God, they will devise their own truths and do what is right in their own eyes. They will call evil good and good evil. Believers who long for the kingdom of God will groan as they witness the world broken by sin and evil.
Finally, we groan because of the consequence of sin felt on this physical world. Romans 8:20-21 informs us that God has subjected the whole physical creation under the bondage of corruption. Natural calamities, diseases, illnesses, decay and physical death remind us that this world is under the curse of sin. We groan as we witness chaos, decay and death in this world. We long for the day of consummation whereby these will be no more.
In summary, Ajith Fernando perceives that “our thirst coming from the foretaste of heaven will clash with the reality of living in a fallen world, and the result is that we will groan sometimes.” As the Holy Spirit transforms us daily, we will experience more and more of God's love, joy and peace in us. These “foretaste of heaven” will clash with the reality of living in a world where the presence and consequences of sin remain. As a result we groan, longing for the fullness of the kingdom of God to be established in us and in this world.
The good news is that Scripture promised us that we will experience the fullness of His kingdom when Christ returns. The presence of sin will be totally eradicated from our lives and also from this world. There will be no more evil, pain and death. God will replace this sin-broken world with a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21:1-6).
What are we waiting for?
Romans 8:19 tells us that creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the “sons of God”. God has chosen people from different generations to become His children. Thus we await for these to be born and called into salvation in Christ Jesus.
The parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30 further develops this idea. The parable tells of a master who actually sown good seeds in his field but only to have his enemy came to sow weeds at night. Upon knowing it was the work of the enemy, a servant of the master suggested they can help to remove the weeds from the field. However the master replied, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.””
Therefore God has appointed a time whereby he will sieve the church, separating the true converts from the false ones. The true believers are the “sons of God”. This appointed harvest time will happen on the day of Christ’s return.
John Piper urges us to be patient and not be presumptuous about His return: “Beware of insisting that God demonstrate dimensions of the kingdom now which he has reserved for the consummation. The kingdom now is limited in its scope and effects. And beware of assuming that all who are swept into the power of God's kingdom are the children of the kingdom. The power of the kingdom gathers many (Matthew 7:22) into its net that will be cast out in the end because they loved healing and not holiness; they loved power and not purity; they loved wonders and not the will of God.”
Groaning Well
Even as we patiently wait for the return of Christ, we need to learn to groan well. We need to differentiate between biblical groaning and worldly misery.
Groaning without reverence is quarrelling
Let us not fall into the trap of bitterness when we witness the broken world in and around us. Let us not be arrogant and accuse God of not doing a good job in running this world. Let us not think our ways are higher than His and reject His plan and timing.
Groaning without gratitude is grumbling
The Lord delivered the Israelites from 400 years of slavery. Yet when they were hungry in the wilderness, they grumbled and wished to return to slavery than to be hungry. The Israelites have short-term memory. They forgot how God had delivered them from their slavery. Likewise, we can behave like the Israelites of old. When we encounter hardships and sufferings, we forget the goodness of God in Christ and grumble.
Groaning without hope is despairing
We must hope in God and in His promises. If we do not cling on to the promise that Christ will come back and make all things new, we will despair and feel hopeless in our lives on earth.
Groaning with reverence inspires submission
Our Lord Jesus Christ groaned in the Garden of Gethsemane about His impending suffering on the cross. He did not deserve to go through it, he pleaded that He would not need to go through it. Yet He submitted to the Father’s will and prayed: “Yet I want Your will to be done, not mine.” In times when we wrestle with pain, let us groan with reverence. Remember He is God the Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth, His way is higher than ours and His wisdom is unsearchable. Let us submit to Him and trust His sovereign ways.
Groaning with gratitude inspires trust
Apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter to Philippians. Yet he was able to find contentment and strength in Christ. Knowing that God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, Paul is confident that God will not withhold any good things from him. Therefore he declared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Gratitude towards what God has provided for us in Christ will inspire us to rest and trust Him in times of lack and great difficulties.
Groaning with hope inspires endurance
As we witness chaos, decay and death in this physical world, we groan not without hope. We know that there will be new heaven and new earth and we will inherit a new body. We look forward to the fulfilment of all God's promises. So we groan with hope saying, “Lord, we long for the fullness of Your kingdom. We long to see You face to face. We long for the day we will love You with all our hearts." Groaning with hope will inspire us to persevere in faith in this broken world.
The Divine Groaner
The good news is that we are not left to groan alone in this world. The Holy Spirit who lives in us groans along with us. Sometimes when bad things happened to us, we struggle to understand why. Our finite mind is unable to comprehend the ways of God. In our weakness, we don’t know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit groans in us and intercedes for us according to the will of God.
When my mother passed away, I went through a period of deep grief. I was traumatised by the suffering that my mother had to go through before she died. I struggled to understand the process of dying. I didn’t understand why God had to let my mother suffer so terribly before calling her home. One year later, my grief had not dissipated and I found myself sitting by the stairs of the columbarium weeping and sobbing before the Lord. It was then that I experienced the profound presence of God. I realised that in the abyss of sorrow and pain, He was there. I was never alone. I had misunderstood His silence as indifference. He was silent because He was weeping alongside me, not judging my pain but bearing my sorrow. He was the voice of my groaning.
I came to reckon that we cannot groan well without the Holy Spirit.
So come Holy Spirit, teach us how to groan!
References:
- Ajith Fernando, Jesus Driven Ministry, 2007
- John Piper, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/is-the-kingdom-present-or-future