Genesis 8:18-27
The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. MSG
This is the verse that first stood out to me in our passage. Are you conscious of any birth pangs within you? Are you conscious of anything alive inside of you that is growing? Have you longed for things you haven’t seen but hoped would be? If so, I believe you are very blessed. I cannot help but think of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit and those who mourn. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and those who are marginalized because of their faith.” I believe those who carry life (of this painful type) within are likely sharing (something of) the sufferings of Christ.
I believe there are many who are not yet aware that it is Christ’s life, niggling and disrupting from within which has brought them to places of personal despair, questioning why this life does not satisfy. The irony is that this humbling place which we would never choose for our hearts is where Truth can often introduce Himself. We can then discover that He is also the Way and the Life. Again, you are blessed if this is you. Think of Paul’s words….
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Materialism and prosperity can be real enemies to the Life within. For many of us, I fear who may be taking the broader road, we can override the precious and troubling still small voice of Life within with the constant diversions of our dollar-driven lives. Instead we must become Spirit-led. This will require us to stop and really listen to what is going on inside us. For many the fear of even facing this busy monster within is sufficient to further motivate the perpetual flight of our hearts.
It is so easy to let the world interpret life for us. We watch the evening news and it seems to more closely resemble an abortion than a potential live birth. We take it in and we never quite admit it but we quietly conclude that all is lost for this world. It is way beyond redemption. Yet, we remain tuned in to our favorite political talking heads, entertaining some vain hope that our party will rise and lead us to glory. To walk in the Spirit we must continually defer to the plumb line of scripture….
All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.
All is not lost. God is holding all things in trust for the kingdom’s sons and daughters. Let’s allow the Spirit to speak to our hearts and convey to us that normal Christianity involves the mysterious process of living simultaneously with pain and joyful expectancy.
That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.
If you were to take inventory of your hopes and expectations (acknowledging them as your treasures), which kingdom would this exercise indicate you are invested in? God’s or your own?