All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it is within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We are feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.I want to be brave in my waiting, like Thoreau, and say, "so be it!" But instead I groan and I sigh. How loving it is of the Spirit to gather up those sighs and groans and fashion them into prayers.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired of waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That is why we can be sure that in every detail of our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Waiting
Waiting has been on my mind lately and, the way it usually happens when you have something on your mind, I see echoes of the subject all around me. Tuesday I came across it in Thoreau's journal and posted his stirring declaration, "If my life is a waiting - so be it. I will not be shipwrecked on a vain reality." Today I find the problem of waiting addressed in Romans, chapter 8. Here is an excerpt from The Message translation:
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4 comments:
im praying that your time waiting will be put to good use as far as emotional and physical health goes. also that things would move along quickly. =) love you and i think you have been very brave! im proud to be your sister!
btw...i see you are voting for mccain. i havent made up my mind yet. i would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks Steph :) Here's some info from McCain's website about an issue you know I care deeply about.
John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench.
Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat.
However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion - the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby. The pro-life movement has done tremendous work in building and reinforcing the infrastructure of civil society by strengthening faith-based, community, and neighborhood organizations that provide critical services to pregnant mothers in need. This work must continue and government must find new ways to empower and strengthen these armies of compassion. These important groups can help build the consensus necessary to end abortion at the state level. As John McCain has publicly noted, "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level."
You can find a lot of great info about his position on major issues at www.johnmccain.com.
Thank you for sharing that insight. It is so what I tell myself so many times when I have trouble praying that God knows my every thought and my prays even if wordless are heard.
Also that is one nice chair you have there. We did good!
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