Thursday, December 29th, 2005
To Long and Groan
The three things:
- Is there a fact to believe here?
- Is there a promise to trust?
- Is there a command to obey?
OK, so one of the few books that I am reading is Dare to Dream Again… again, a great book if you have not read it, and something that sparked some thoughts last night was the longing and groaning of Christians. Now, I have always thought of groaning to be a bad thing… I mean, when I tell a bad joke and people groan… I start to think of how I could tell the joke better. So, this section really inspired some thought last night and I would like to dig into it a bit deeper.
Longing (noun):
- A strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled.
Groaning (adj.):
- Making low inarticulate sound as that of pain or sorrow.
So, that definitely makes sense as to why people groan at my jokes… and, for that matter, long to hear a good joke from me.
2nd Corinthians 5:1-4
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
So, this thought of groaning is actually fairly common in the bible. The word groan (the root word) is used 43 times in the NIV. Job groaned. The Israelites groaned (not much of a surprise to me…). There is much groaning in the Psalms. But here is something I like to do. I like to check the Proverbs… if the word is in the Proverbs; the surrounding verse shed a little light on the verse at hand. Proverbs 29:2 caught my eye…
Proverbs 29:1-3
1 A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. 2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. 3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
And what really makes me think, is if a wicked person is ruling, he will be stiff-necked. The person may not be a companion of prostitutes, per-se, going out and hiring women to sleep with him, because prostitute means more than sex for hire. It also means: One who sells one's abilities, talent, or name for an unworthy purpose. And by that definition, I think we have all done that at one point or another in our life… or maybe I am the only one. I know I have been employed at places where I did thinks that really violated my conscience and know were wrong.
Romans 8:18-27
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 2 1that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
I like the whole childbirth reference. Jeff Chacon references it in his book and it really hit home for me. Being a guy, I can only see and experience things second hand, and when my wife was pregnant with our son, she was very cool at first… but by the last couple of months, she was groaning: “Get this kid OUT!” She has a co-worker who just had a baby, and it was the same for her, as she has told me. I am just grateful I am a man. And in verse 26, the Spirit even GROANS for me! I wonder if Frankenstein was praying as he walked about… but as I study this out, I can now see how groaning and longing are really much intertwined. As a child wants a toy, the child groans and wines about the “need” of the toy. The child is longing to play with the item and begs insistently, asking if they can have it. In the same way, as a Christian, I need to be groaning about wanting to be in heaven. I should long for it… and as much as I know I should, I honestly don’t see that about my character. Yes, I do want to be in heaven, but I still feel there is much work to be done here. I do groan, though. It is more of a praying nature.
In the “Hall of Faith,” there is an exert that really touches my heart.
Hebrews 15:13-16
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
I am willing to bet Jeff is going to mention this part before the chapter is out. One thing that sticks out to me within this passage is verse 13. “They did not receive the things promised.” It’s just a part of the verse… but God promises us things, he promises me things… happiness, love, treasure… these things will come. In this lifetime, maybe, and I have already received them in this lifetime. I treasure many things: a friendship, my child, my wife, my Lord, and I get love from them all. I get happiness from them all, but what I really long for is to continue all these things in heaven. With two days remaining on the year… I will continue that thought tomorrow… Johnny Out.
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