“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:22-23
It seems that this past year we have seen this passage from the book of Romans playing out before our eyes. Creation is mimicking the pains of labor with demonstrations of violent weather and natural disasters somewhere around the world on a weekly basis. While it’s true that we have experienced storms, floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes in our lifetimes before, it’s the time between these “contractions” that is curious. It seems that these labor pains have never been closer together than they’ve been here recently. You know what it means when the contractions follow closely together, right? Yep, a birth is soon to occur!
It’s a Scriptural fact that we are living in the last days. (Hebrews 1:2, Acts 2:17) The writings of the New Testament declare such, and they were written almost 2,000 years ago, so how much closer are we now to the end of this Age? With that said, these can be scary times for many. Even Christians can be tempted to feel helpless in the face of impending disaster, but we’ve got to remember Romans Chapter 8 doesn’t end with verse 23. We have help in these perilous times! From who? Romans 8:26 reveals, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities…” We have help from the Holy Spirit that’s who!
Romans 8 speaks of the great change that will occur when the heavens and the Earth are renovated by our Father, and of the turmoil that will unfold prior to this wonderful display of God’s grace and justice, but it also encourages believers by letting them know that we have the Holy Spirit as a guide to help us navigate through it all.
When I consider these things, I’m reminded of what a good friend we have in the Holy Spirit. I know we sing of what a wonderful friend we have in Jesus, and he most definitely is, but let’s not forget that one who dwells inside of us, He’s our friend too! He wants to help us, to give us great advice, to let us know how to do things we want and need to do in our daily lives. If you’ve had any personal experience with Him, you know how patient He is with us and how generous He is with His time and effort that He puts into a relationship with us. Think about that for a few moments. Consider that He’s not obligated to do any of that, but He does it because He loves us and wants the best for our lives. That’s a good friend.
There’s another friendly gesture that the Holy Spirit provides for us all, and it’s so relevant to the things going on around us today, the Holy Spirit “helpeth our infirmities” by making “intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” How does the Holy Spirit help us when “we know not what we should pray for as we ought”? He helps us to pray! (Romans 8:26) He helps us to see and understand what needs to be prayed out in this world, and, if we will listen to Him, gives us the very words to pray God’s will to pass.
As we’ve mentioned before, we see in the Gospels a spiritual principle put into action many times by Jesus, God’s requirement that a man or woman request His intervention through prayer so that He can move on this Earth. It’s God’s system of delegated authority and the proper chain of enforcing His will on this Earth. The Holy Spirit will help us with this endeavor, and who better to help in these regards than the third part of the Godhead Himself! He will give us the words, or utterance, to proclaim the Word of God in prayer so that we can successfully enforce God’s desire in our lives and in this planet.
Brothers and sisters, sure, these are perilous times, and odds are good that they will continue to be dangerous for humanity. The good news is that we can have the wisdom of the Holy Spirit at our disposal. He can help us to pray just what needs prayed at just the right time for God to intervene on our and our family’s behalf. That’s just the kind of friend that He is!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.