For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
—Romans 8:19
You and I have a promise of a better day. There is a perfect day coming, and according to Paul, all of creation is leaning forward on tiptoe, waiting for it, “waiting with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”
Have you ever wondered what happened to this world? God created a perfect paradise and placed man over it to rule. Now the earth is marked by plagues, pollution, disasters, greed, and destruction. What went wrong? The answer is one small, terrible word: sin. When Adam and Eve rebelled, they didn’t just ruin themselves, they plunged all of creation into what Paul calls “bondage to corruption.” The ground was cursed, and the whole created order has been groaning under it ever since.
That’s why no human solution can finally fix it. It doesn’t matter what man attempts, we cannot save the earth by ecology, social engineering, or political maneuvering. Every man-made remedy is partial and temporary, because the problem is deeper than policy. There will be no ultimate ecological balance, no lasting peace, no true prosperity until Jesus Christ returns and the curse itself is lifted.
Now you might think that makes Christians indifferent to the world’s troubles, but just the opposite. It gives us a hope that nothing in this age can supply. Creation “will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” The same redemption coming to us is coming to the whole creation. One day there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and all of heaven and earth will celebrate the glory of God.
Here’s a thought that may reframe your pain: pain itself can be a good thing. How? Because it’s a warning signal that something is wrong. How would you know to pull your hand out of the fire if you couldn’t feel the heat? All the groaning of this age is, in a sense, God getting our attention, reminding us this is not the way things are supposed to be, and not the way they will stay.
So how does a promise about the distant future help you today? Like this: if you can catch even a glimpse of the coming glory, the freedom from suffering, the perfection of a renewed creation, the unveiling of the children of God in their full inheritance, you’ll find the strength to weather the groanings of this present day and age.
God has a plan for planet earth, and it will not live in futility much longer. You and I will soon be fully and finally redeemed, a healthy new body in a perfect environment, in the presence of our King.
So, in the days of groaning and suffering, lift your eyes. Don’t lose heart. Be strengthened by the glory that is soon to come. Jesus is coming again, and all creation is holding its breath for that day.
ALL CREATION GROANS, WAITING FOR THE DAY CHRIST RETURNS, GET A GLIMPSE OF THAT GLORY AND FIND STRENGTH FOR TODAY.
