Faith allows God to work in our lives and to mold us into the character of Jesus. Faith allows us to hope for what is unseen. Faith allows us to know the longing of God’s heart for His creation. Faith allows us to step out in the good works that we were created for.
Romans 8:25-27 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Sometimes we cannot form into words the empathy that we have for all that our culture deems unworthy. Life is sometimes overwhelming. BUT Holy Spirit, the very heart of the Trinity, knows the words and He speaks them over us and for those we pray for. Why? Because God loves all of us!! Carla
Present troubles are manageable when living in hope of future redemption. Our weaknesses refers to people’s limited capacity and susceptibility to sin and death. Paul encourages the Roman believers that the Spirit does not condemn them in their weakness. Even with the assurance of future hope, believers who patiently endure suffering may, at times, face troubles that exhaust their strength and try their faith. Paul urges such believers to find encouragement in the intercession the Holy Spirit makes on their behalf in these circumstances. This is one aspect of how the Holy Spirit serves as an advocate (paraklētos) for followers of Christ. Unexpressed groaning may refer to the groaning of the Holy Spirit or the groaning of the believer (Psalm 1:1). The One who searches our hearts is an expression of God’s omniscience (Acts 1:24; 2:23; 15:8). Paul tells the believers that God continues to work on their behalf, especially when they do not know what to pray for. Faithlife Study Bible
If we are expecting something unseen, we wait with perseverance; that is, we are willing to endure the present. Though more may be involved in the concept of weaknesses, the primary reference here is to mental ignorance. The contrast offered by Paul in this verse is between our inability to know how to pray and the effective prayers of the Spirit Himself. The emphasis indicates that the Spirit Himself prays for us. He intercedes on our behalf before the throne of God (1 John 2:1). But His intercession cannot be uttered, which means it is “unexpressed, unspoken.” No language is in view here, only the inner groanings of the Spirit.
As children of God, we do not always know what to pray for or how best to pray (verse 26), but we can know the purpose of God which the Holy Spirit desires to accomplish.
The primary reference of all things is the “sufferings of this present time” (verse 18). All circumstances will work together in cooperation for the believer’s good—that is, the believer will be conformed to Jesus Christ now and reign with Him later.
Those who love God are in fact those who are the called by God. Our love is our response to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. We are called according to His purpose. God does everything, including redemption, in order to accomplish His overarching plan. The NKJV Study Bible
And this from Rev. Cameron Trimble.
“It is tempting to harden in response. To turn inward, to grow cynical or numb. But the answer to cruelty is not more cruelty. The answer is fierce tenderness. The answer is resistance rooted in compassion. The answer is a refusal to lose our own humanity, even as others lose theirs.
What breaks my heart most is not only the policies themselves, but how effective they are at eroding empathy. When good people begin to speak about others as immigrants, as progressives, as the ‘radical left,’ as less than human, something sacred is lost. The machinery of propaganda is designed to do just this. It severs us from one another. It teaches us to look at our neighbor and see not a fellow traveler, but a threat.
We are not required to agree with everyone. We are not required to abandon our values or ignore injustice. But we are called by faith, by conscience, by our own sense of decency to never forget that every person we meet is sacred. Every person, even those who have been shaped by lies, deserves to be seen in the fullness of their humanity.
This is not naïveté. This is spiritual resistance. This is what it means to hold onto the better angels of our nature while the world tries to drag us into the pit.
In times like these, truth is not a mere fact; it is an act of courage. Empathy is not a weakness; it is a weapon against dehumanization.
Hope is not a passive wish; it is a decision to live as if love still matters.” “Sabbath Moments”
Psalm 27:13-14 (ESV) "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!"
God's goodness is certain.
Lies can wreak havoc on a hurting heart. At our most vulnerable, we can be tempted to believe the worst, crushing all hope that things will ever be good again. Thankfully, God has given us His Truth that sets us free (John 8:32), and Psalm 27 offers encouragement that can help us cling to Christ.
When we remember God's promises and His faithfulness, we can confidently seek Him even in the darkest valley, trusting that we will see His goodness. It may begin with the smallest pinprick of light that encourages us to keep moving forward with hope ...
Ultimately we know His goodness will redeem all things and shine forth like the noonday sun (Psalm 37:6; Job 11:17; Isaiah 58:10).Someday we will "look upon the goodness of the LORD" face-to-face in eternity with Christ (Psalm 27:13). First5
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