Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Opening Scripture

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:8-12

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, You are holy and worthy of praise. You are my Father, and I walk humbly in Your love. You are my Shepherd, who guides and protects me. I make myself available to You to accomplish Your will in me. I surrender every attitude, thought, and action to You. You are my Provider, and I trust You to meet my needs. Forgive me when I disappoint You and fall short. Help me to forgive others, that I might reflect Your forgiveness. Show me my sin, so I can confess it to You. Don’t let my feet stray from the path of righteousness. Protect me from Satan’s temptations, lies, and deceptions. Strengthen my faith and trust in You alone. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Romans 8:26-27

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Reflection  

There is a lot of “groaning” in Romans 8. In verse 22, it is a “shared groaning” (systenazei) among all creation. That word means to moan jointly or lament together; a harmony of heavy sighs. It is a corporate expression of audible anguish – like the pains of childbirth – throughout God’s created world over the brokenness of the Fall and the destructiveness of evil. Paul places human suffering within this cosmic framework, looking forward to God’s eventual restoration of all things.

In verse 23, it is an “inward groaning” (stenazomen) among believers. It means to groan because of pressure being exerted forward, feeling the weight of what is to come. It pictures a deep, wordless response to extreme stress or intense longing. In each instance in the New Testament, the word connects human emotion to divine purpose. The Church groans as we wait for the full realization of our divine inheritance and the glorious transformation of our earthly bodies.

In verse 26, it is the Spirit groaning (stenagmois) on our behalf. The Holy Spirit’s intercession for followers of Jesus is beyond the limits of human speech. Paul rightly observes how limited our prayers can be. “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” How comforting to know that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness… even in our prayers!

Our imperfect prayers are picked up by the indwelling Holy Spirit and translated into flawless expressions that are perfectly aligned with the Father’s will. “He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” The Godhead continually mediates on our behalf to facilitate our participation in the mysterious Trinitarian Fellowship!

What wonderful encouragement for us to pray!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

The next verse after today’s passage is the famous Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” While this is a tremendous verse of encouragement, the groaning in the rest of Romans 8 gives context to that truth.

We recognize that God is sovereign. Our present circumstances are temporary. An eventual and eternal restoration is imminent. Creation looks forward to everything being made new. Followers of Jesus eagerly anticipate the return of our Lord. The Spirit is continually interceding for us. Yet, there is groaning.

Even though we know that Almighty God can bring good out of a bad situation, there is a place for “holy groaning” and lament. Loss, pain, and grief are part of the human condition. The Psalms are full of weeping and sadness. “Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?” (Psalm 6:2-3).

God is our refuge and strength. He is our hope and salvation. He is our security and comfort. He draws near to those who are hurting. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). But there is the reality of being brokenhearted and crushed in spirit that attracts God’s comfort. There is suffering.

Our confident assurance that God will ultimately work everything together for good does not remove the pain of misery and sorrow, but it does contextualize it. Hardship and suffering can be used by God to make us more like Jesus and to accomplish good in our lives and the lives of others. The joy of the Lord is certainly our strength, but there is a place for lament. There is a place for groaning.

Is there an aspect of groaning that resonates with you today?

This week’s collective prayer: God, please empower and equip our Gospel partners to fulfill Your calling in their work. Amen.

You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you can’t do more than pray until you’ve prayed!