Hope Givers

Romans 8:18-25

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope , but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

There is a groaning going on in our world today, a groaning in nature or creation, a groaning in nations as in governments and economies, a groaning in people in general and even a groaning in us as children of God. I was recently in Egypt and saw the great pyramids built with giant stone that were pulled by thousands of slaves. I picture the groaning we hear in our world today as the groaning of these slaves pulling these unimaginable, heavy loads. So also we are pulling the weight of sin, the weight of dysfunctional governments and collapsing economies. We are suffering the consequences of increasing natural disasters in the earth under the curse of sinful man.

However, there is in the midst of the groaning an earnest expectation. Sin and the curse on creation came through us, and redemption of the earth comes through us as we respond to God. So, creation is waiting on us with expectation. Not only is creation waiting, but all mankind is waiting on the revealing of the sons of God. The Hebrew word for creation in this passage is the same one used for creature in Mark 16:15, which tells us to, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” for we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit are the revelation of God on the earth and hope of a future.

Because we have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even though we may suffer, we have a hope in us that the world does not have because of the glory which shall be revealed in us. Our hope is not in what is seen but in what is not seen. Webster defines hope as a desire accompanied by expectation. The word expectation in the Greek means to stick one’s neck out. This exemplifies not only eagerness, but also a willingness to take a risk and step out of our comfort zone and do something that we would not ordinarily do.

This hope in us makes us hope givers in a world that is groaning because of sin and corruption. May your hope, eagerness, and enthusiasm for life in Christ be contagious to those around you. Bring a word of hope to those you meet who may be struggling and discouraged.

Andy Clark