But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:25-26, GNT

 

We all want life to be good, and nobody should blame us for that. It is human nature to avoid pain and suffering. Some people seek pain in their lives, but they represent a tiny group. Most of us simply hope for happiness.

 

Unfortunately, life is not always filled with happiness and can often be difficult. The good things are overshadowed by bad things, and none of us can escape this reality. Illness, death, old age, poverty, loss of a job or watching someone we love make poor choices, can all lead to a very unpleasant life. In a specific region of our country, people express this sentiment in Afrikaans by saying something is “onlekker”, which means “not nice at all”. Indeed, there are times when life can feel truly “onlekker”.

 

Why should this be? Jesus died on the cross for us, after all. Does what he has done mean that we should be free of all our problems and worries? Was the Holy Spirit not explicitly sent to keep all the unpleasant things far away from us? Jesus took our sins and even death upon himself. The Holy Spirit surely came to support and guide us in life, but we unfortunately still live in a broken world. In Romans 8:21, we read that "creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery to decay.”

 

Paul offers us new hope with the words from our verse for today: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” It is not easy to agree with Paul on this. Our entire lives tend to focus on what we can observe. However, we can look beyond that. “In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are.” When we reach the limits of our understanding and the challenges of life become overwhelming, the power of the Holy Spirit begins to work within us.

 

Please believe that there truly is hope beyond what we see and experience.

 

Prayer: Lord, many times it feels as if I am drowning in the overwhelming challenges of life. The news about our troubled world often seems almost unbearable. Please help me, Lord, to hold onto hope, even when I cannot see it. Amen.