Groaning Together with the Spirit

 John 16:4-15, Romans 8:22-27

In John 16, Jesus is comforting the disciples whom he knows will suffer sorrow when he leaves them. He comforts them telling of the advantage they will receive when he goes away – that of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus calls the Advocate. Further on in this passage he refers to the Spirit as the Spirit of Truth who will guide them into all truth. This advocate for them will glorify Christ by declaring this truth to them. This truth is that all the Father has is Christ’s and all this will be declared to you.

In Romans 8, Paul talks about the rebirth Christ has brought through salvation. Creation is groaning the pains of labor as it is promised to be reborn into a new creation. We too are new creations receiving the first fruits of the Spirit – salvation. But we groan inwardly having our own labor pains as we wait for full adoption in the redemption of our bodies. By hope we have been saved and we hope that we will have resurrected bodies someday.

We wait for this salvation from death with patience. But alas we have the Advocate Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness, interceding for us in our prayer lives with groanings too deep for words. God who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit so God knows what these deep groanings are since the Spirit intercedes for us and for all the saints according to God’s will.

There are times we run out of patience and we are so troubled we can’t put together the words fully how we feel and what we need God to provide for us. What a blessing that we are like a new born baby who communicates with cries our earthly parents have to figure out. Are they hungry, need a diaper change, or a secure hug? God our heavenly parent knows what our groans interceded through the Spirit means. God knows what we truly need. This is the gift of the Spirit- called the Advocate since the Holy Spirit advocates for our needs.

We have the hope that even when we are not sure what we need, our Advocate Spirit will groan together with us expressing our hidden inner needs to God who searches our hidden hearts and will know just how to answer. Amen.

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