From Lost to Loved: A 30-Day Study of Romans 8Sample

The next two verses are critical to understanding the realities of Christian living. We are told in no uncertain terms that true disciples are not exempt from the “groaning” endured by the rest of humanity and creation. He says, “we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait…”

Beware of any presentation of the Gospel that explains away all pain, sickness, or suffering as a sign of faithlessness. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-8, Paul reveals how he himself endured a “thorn in his flesh” even though he repeatedly prayed to the Lord for its removal.

I know the groaning that comes with what feels like unanswered prayers. I was left raising three kids alone after my first wife passed away following a thirteen year battle with a brain tumor. Some days felt impossible. The grief was real, but so was the presence of God.

Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 anchored me in that season: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” That verse gave me permission to groan and mourn, yet not as one abandoned. The Spirit held me, and I’ve walked differently ever since.

I walk with a God-limp now, the cadence of my life forever changed through traversing the valley of the shadow of death. He taught me to lean harder on grace. I’m not the same man, father, or pastor. And in His mercy, God brought into my life a woman of deep strength refined by God, steadied by trust, and anchored in an intimate faith walk that’s wholly her own. We both carry grief from past roads, but we’re learning to trust Him more deeply as we build our new family together. We aren’t rewriting the past; we’re walking faithfully in the present. This life is not pain-free, but it is grace-filled. We carry our grief and groaning honestly, without shame or retreat. Hope holds the line.

Romans 8:23 underscores what I’ve learned in my own story. The ache of life in a fallen world doesn’t vanish just because you belong to Christ. If anything, the Spirit’s presence sharpens the ache. To walk with Jesus is to carry both hope and groaning in the same heart. We grieve. We wait. We ache. But we do not flinch because we are filled with the Spirit and upheld in His promises and assurance.

Don’t silence the groaning in the deeper parts of your soul. That’s not weakness. It’s the sound of birth pangs. Something better is coming… your groaning won’t outlast His promised glory.

REFLECT:
If your Gospel can’t carry you through groaning now, what makes you think it can carry you into glory then?