Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
23but not only [them], but we ourselves, [the] very ones having the firstfruits of the Spirit, also are groaning in ourselves, ones waiting eagerly for adoption, the redemption of our body. 24For we were saved in this hope, but hope being seen is not hope, for who is hoping for what he is seeing? 25But, if we are hoping for what we are not seeing, we are waiting eagerly through patience.
We should all take note, reading this passage, one of the things the Lord wants to give us is hope. To know Jesus, to have a real relationship with the Most High God, is to be a person of hope. Listen to what He will say later in Romans: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (15:13). That is certainly a glorious privilege our salvation has given us and something we should deliberately appreciate and thank the Lord for.
It is even extremely important to Him in that our hope is a major tool He would use to draw others to Himself, as we read in I Peter: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (3:15). I rather suspect we don’t even realize how much hope shines out of our lives. I fear we take it for granted and we are certainly all prone to letting ourselves get discouraged, yet I would suggest we probably don’t realize how different we seem to people around us who frankly have no real hope – only hope-so’s. Perhaps that is something we should all pray for occasionally – that the Lord would help us to sincerely live our hope and that, whether we know it or not, He would use our hope in someone else’s life?
However, one more twist I’d like to suggest is that we should all ask ourselves, when we interact with others, are we people who infuse hope? Jesus does. To know Him is to feel real hope for maybe the first time. What about each of us? Do we infuse hope to others we deal with? It seems to me that rather, what most people hear all day every day is criticism, sarcasm, put-downs, mocking, belittling, and just downright discouragement. Just to say something encouraging to them is probably a far greater kindness than we even realize. I wonder, when we do, if we don’t sometimes make their day, perhaps their month! – just because it’s so different. God help us – here we are, enjoying this hope Jesus has given us so abundantly that we take it for granted. Wouldn’t it be right for us to in turn be people who deliberately try to give hope to others? As the old saying goes, “What if everybody did?”
Then here’s another crazy thought and I’m feeling like this is something really deep I’ve never quite pondered before. Here we are. The entire Creation is groaning under the curse of sin. We’re groaning ourselves. The Creation simply suffers. They don’t really know why. Back in v.20, it was even specifically said that Creation’s suffering is “not by its own choice.” Even as Creation suffers, still it is true that “the heavens declare the glory of God.” Creation is still glorifying God, but only because it simply does. Angels glorify God, but they’re already in heaven. They don’t have to suffer at all. Then, out of all Creation, both in heaven and on earth, we are the only ones granted the privilege of suffering willingly. It says in our passage that, because we have hope, we wait for our redemption patiently. The word literally means “with endurance.”
What I’m suggesting is that, to suffer with hope, to suffer, yet to take it patiently, is one of the ways we believers get to uniquely glorify God. Creation suffers but doesn’t know why. Angels apparently don’t suffer at all. They all glorify God in their way. However, out of them all, we are afforded the unfathomable privilege of declaring to the universe that God is so great we can trust Him and love Him and serve Him even while we suffer. Even while we are groaning in this world of death, we look up to Him and cry, “Abba, Father!” Even wallowing in the squalor of this world’s morass of evil and heartache, we look up to Jesus with our dirty emaciated faces and say to Him, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created!” And note we do it willingly. Like our Savior, we say to the Father, “If it be Thy will, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.” When He says to us, “My grace is sufficient for thee,” we respond, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me!”
I don’t want to suffer. I don’t like to suffer. I’m certainly not asking for suffering. However, this truth seems deeply comforting, to realize that, out of all Creation, we believers uniquely get to glorify God precisely because we choose to trust Him and believe His promises and be people of hope – even while we suffer along with the entire rest of this material Creation. Angels in the glory of heaven can swarm around the throne and sing, “Holy, holy, holy”, but only we can glorify Him in suffering.
Hope, real hope, is a wonderful thing. How much more wonderful to realize that very hope, as we live it, actually uniquely glorifies God! That is one more reason why He leaves us here on earth, one more reason why we’re still here, one more reason to say to Him, “Lord, I’m ready to be done here. I want to come and be with You. I want You to make me holy and let me be done with sin forever. However, yes, I’ll stay here for You. If I can yet glorify You, even here, then, not my will, but Thine be done” – and do it willingly.
Patiently
O for grace, to trust Him more!
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