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Romans 8:24-26
March 21, 2025 by Rebecca Littlejohn
DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE
Romans 8:24-26 – Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is not seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. (NRSV)
Sometimes life is just too much. Whether it’s calamities in our own lives or those of our loved ones, or whether it’s the broader world heading somewhere in a handbasket, sometimes we are simply overwhelmed. Hope becomes hard to find or hold onto. It can be difficult to even know what to pray for, when everything seems broken.
In the Chalice Hymnal, #563 reminds us of a quote from Abraham Lincoln saying, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” Many of us have had that experience at one time or another in our lives. But the blessing of being part of a church community is that we don’t have to relate to prayer as a last resort.
Scripture reminds us that the Holy Spirit is as close as our breath. For some reason, this seems easy to forget, despite the fact that we go on breathing regardless of what else is happening. But joining with others for worship reminds us to come and align our breath with one another as we seek the Holy. Even if we don’t have the words, the Spirit offers us sighs that are deeper than words, sighs that resonate in the innermost crevices of our souls, places we may not have even realized were hurting.
While I often preach gratitude that God became human in Christ, so that we can know our humanity is blessed, here is a reason to be grateful for the opposite of that. Perhaps if we can hold onto God as mystery, a world that is confusing and overwhelming can be less scary. We don’t have to fear things just because we don’t understand them. The unknown can be threatening and dangerous, but it can also be full of beautiful surprises and wonder. We just have to keep breathing, and let God carry us through.