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Read - Romans 8:18 – 27 and Isaiah 40: 27 – 31
We all get bogged down at time, in our own lives and in the mess of the modern (or postmodern) world. But in these passages I see a way forward, a way up and outof the things in life that would pull us down and hold us down.
We watch the news or read the newspaper and see again the World’s mess. We see, daily, all the things that are wrong in the world – some new; some ongoing (not to mention the scores of obituaries. There are likely some things of concern, disappointment, mess – even tragedy in our lives, that don't make it into the daily news and, hopefully, never will. We are all affected by the mess and the mud and the mire - by the human condition, which includes our condition, too.
Recently, an acquaintance told me of an encounter with a friend who’s life has not been easy, and who seems stuck on that fact – and maybe legitimately so. And she asserted, "You may think I’m an old, bitter lady – and I am! And if you don’t like it, well . . ." She continued, ‘"So, I don’t believe in God. How could a God – if there is one, allow these kinds of things to happen?"
That’s hardly a new argument for the non-existence of God and likely we’ve all used it at timesI’m drawn to the similarities of the Isaiah and Paul passages of the text(s). We have Isaiah’s Metaphor and Paul’s Analogy of the ‘natural’ and the ‘spiritual’ - of a bird in flight (Isaiah’s image) amd of the Groaning Spirit (Paul’s image). We find in both - shared understanding - both of the Problem and of God’s Provision.
FIRSTLY - Both Isaiah and Paul remind us – of THE PROBLEM - of OUR WORLD OF WEARINESS, SADNESS, FRUSTRATION AND DESPAIR.
In Isaiah’s Metaphor, there are days of hurry (running) and days of plodding faithfully on (walking) - times when we need to be doing that, but perhaps cannot. We’re too wounded, weary, afraid and we run from – not to, the battles of life.
Life is difficult and there are real issues to confront and challenges to flee. Not everything will be fixed immediately, so we need faith and hope. But perhaps also we really do still ned some measure of adversity & struggle. I mean, we wouldn’t read a novel or think much of a movie-story that didn’t have conflict in its unfolding. I'm told that If we help a struggling butterfly out of its cocoon, it’ll never pump the needed juices to spread out; never have energy and strength enough to fly. There’s a point in suffering, struggle, tension and adversity. It can make us stronger. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to go through. Isaiah borrows the metaphor of a foot race - "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall."
There are desparate times in Israel to which Isaiah alludes, some of them now past (whew) and some more to come: . . . "Comfort ye, comfort ye! my People!" God said to them. He know that in such hard times, God's People need to "wait upon the Lord" - to 'hope in the Lord.' There are the times when it's just tough slugging, and we so easily feel our humaness, our frailty: -“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall . . ."
What makes us sad, forlorn and despairing In life's tough, troubling, wearisome times? When are we most tempted to complain? to give up? There are so many pessures in life. Impossible situations of life that we must face. Raising kids and rescuing pets. Pressures of jobs and vocations. Maybe it’s still another un-kept election promise? Another toy or tool of technology that makes us more tired in the end; another tragedy created by a drunk driver. Another war, another bridge collapse, another snowfall.
First, we were angry at the injustice, but then we just gave up and became cynical. Jaded, we no longer care: what can anyone do? What difference does it make. Some days, it’s just everything and everyone in general. "The problem with life," someone has said, "is that it’s so everyday."
In Romans 8 Paul too talks about things that make us groan (as does the creation as well). ‘We know that the whole planet is groaning,’ he says - that Nature is ‘red in tooth and claw'; that the poles of the earth are warming and their ice melting. There are Ice storms and the increasing encroachment of desert. There is flood and drought with either too much or too little of what's needed; nature is unbalanced, out-of-whack. We groan, all creation groans. But ah, the Spirit of God who indwells God's People, groans too! – and therein lies our blessing and our hope.
SECONDLY - Both Isaiah and Paul teach us – about GOD’S HELP AND PROVISION. GOD REMAINS ALWAYS NEAR – AND WE CAN TALK TO HIM
In times and experiences of trial – and just everyday, we need to ‘wait on the Lord.’ That means: 'we pray.' Prayer is trusting, resting, crying, crying out - even groaning. It means patiently waiting for God’s answer, God’s intervention.
1. In Response to our Complaint, God says: ‘LOOK AT CREATION!’
In times and experiences of trial – and just everyday, we need to ‘wait on the Lord.’ That means prayer . . . trusting, resting, crying, crying out - even groaning. It means patiently waiting for God’s answer, God’s intervention. I only noticed lately – (and there is, I think, the example in both of our texts) - that whenever in Scripture God’s Presence or Goodness is challenged, whenever someone is tempted to question and challenge God about what’s going on, or that is not happening, that we think should and we get to thinking that God’s got ‘some ‘splainin’ to do . . . that God’s response in Scripture usually has to do with Creation. We see the Revelation of God and His power in Creation; but we need the finer print of Scripture to tell us He loves the fallen earth - still.
You remember Job, when his friends failed Him and He wanted answers from God, that God responds not with 'revelation' but with 'creation.' The Message: - Look around at the Creation. I made this. Where were you, when I made it; when I made the wondrous crystals of snow, and caused lions to give birth?” Where were you when I created the earth? Who decided on its size? Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured and who set the cornerstone, while the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise?
Isaiah prophesies – or rather questions as speaking for God: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
The Creator is still in love with His Creation and with each creature in it. He has been working on the problems, and still is. God's love for the whole of His wide, vast Creation is in concer - part and parcel - with His love for it, and for us all. The Creation is His Baby! He loves it more than you or I ever can or will. He will not give up on it – or give it up.
2. I Remind you . . . that JESUS PRAYS FOR US AND FOR OUR WORLD
The risen, ascended, exalted Lord Jesus, the Head of the Church, the Lord and Saviour of this world, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, prays for us!
There is a reference in the New Testament Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 4: 24 – 26) to the Old Testament Great High Priests who offered sacrifices for sin over and over. But Jesus became both Sacrifice (Lamb of God) and High Priest.
Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. Let us therefore approach God’s throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
3. God HAS SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO OUR WORLD – INTO OUR HEARTS
He is the ‘Heavenly Dove’ that descended on Jesus. He brooded – like a mothering bird, over Creation, fertilizing, birthing (if you will) the egg that would be this planet. And today – not Red Bull but the Holy Spirit, 'gives us wings.'
I encourage you to pray - to pray more by telling you that we don’t know how to pray or what to pray for. St. Paul said it first (Ro. 8 (KJV) “We know not what we should pray for as we ought.” - We can no more pray than fly. Prayer - like Isaiah’s flying birds, is Impossible for us without God’s enabling. We are commanded to pray – to pray often, to pray always. And yet, we need help: We can’t pray rightly, though we’re supposed to do it. But what God commands, God enables. He helps by His Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead and indwells each believer.
We can learn to fly, as it were – in and by prayer and experience what it’s like to mount up on wings like eagles. We won’t be given eagle wings; we’ll be given our own wingsm suitable, applicable, enabling us to mount and soar. I marvel at birds for lots of reasons and I’m glad many more of them will be joining us in the Spring and Summer months (if ever they come this year). I love their colour and I love their song. Such intricacy and beauty in these tiny objects; their hearty ability to survive when it’s freezing cold (their body temperature is warmer than humans' - at about 104 degrees). But I think of the children's song: - ‘The North Wind will blow and we shall have snow and what will the robin do then, poor thing?. . .’ I don’t know where they go to hide and survive the storms. I suppose in local barns, in the eves and shelter of out-buildings: pigeons under bridges and barn-swallows in (well) barns. Others hiding perhaps in the middle of thickets and hedges. I admire their inner sense and homing ability – their God-given capacity to fly hundreds, even thousands of miles, across land and sea, in the seasons as they come and go.
Even though in Prayer - Jesus intercedes and the Holy Spirit intervenes and articulates, we have our part to play. We are not entirely passive. Our part is to groan. We are to be aware, and to feel - to think about our world’s desperate need. We will be moved with passion - to want to see differences, improvement. And just as birds must move their wings, we must choose to take time to pray. We learn to pray just as a baby bird learns to fly – by flying . . . by praying.
Like flying, prayer is innate; but we need the wind, and life, and adversity even - as we learn to to beat our wings. But, flight is not so much what birds do but how they trust and wait on the wind - how they spread out wings to soar and swirl, even above the winds of adversity and the struggles of the merely earth-bound.
Prayer, like flight, is a matter of Attitude, Altitude and Wing-span. 'Attitude' Is our orientation - chin up! - as we ‘wait on the Lord’ and rise up, nose up and attentive. 'Altitude' is of course what happens as our prayers ascend to heavenly realm, ascend to our Lord even as He gives insight as to the places below where He wants us to go, the people for whom we are to care. As we pray we get in touch with, and change, the outcomes of earthly realities as God brings them in synch with the heavenlies. We lift up and travel to people and areas of need God will place on our heart.
Praying in the Spirit and by the Spirit, we rise up like an eagle. As we do, we gain 'perspective.' We are able to see things in life, things on the ground, we can’t otherwise see. We get 'the mind of the Lord' – receiving His ‘take’ on what’s really happening in various situations. We also get a sense of the past, of history; where we’ve come from. Now we see how past influences fall into place in the present, giving us ‘aha moments.’ So, that’s what that meant! We can see where God
was working, what He was doing – is doing still. This becomes a looking-back, ‘count-your-many-blessings’ opportunity. And we can see what's ahead to where we’re going – a little bit further, at least.
Jesus said we are to pray in private (find a closet) rather than show off, if we're tempted to be like a pharisee; but it’s also a privilege to lead others in prayer and to be led in prayer by other members of Christ's Body, the Church. It’s a gift to be with others of like mind, sharing and bringing our requests to God.
Just so, birds are like prayer warriors; they like to be together. They flock together to keep warm, to be together in danger, and probably to encourage each other. Do you have an image in your mind of birds flocking together? - an image of them as they swarm and swirl, forming a cloud. Sparrows especiallly do it; it's called a murmuration.
A congress of crows - a convocation of eagles - a charm of finches - gaggle of geese
A band of jays, party of jays - an exaltation of larks - a tiding of magpies - a parliament of owls
A covey of partridges - a bouquet of pheasants - a conspiracy of ravens - a host of sparrows
Of course Paul is using hyperbole when he says, ‘You don’t know how to pray.’ Our passion, our intent is key; but the words(?) - not so much. We groan, the whole world groans - in our distress and need. And the Spirit groans within us too - and Jesus too - resonating with our spirits, joining with compassion in our world of need and infirmity. We’ll soar up on wings, like eagles . . . And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
When we think of the wonders of Creation, I hope that we’ll think of Our Heavenly Father, the Creator – and of His loving Presence, Power Compassion and Concern. And, when we see a bird fly, I hope we’ll pause to pray; that we’ll Remember that Jesus intercedes for us constantly; and that God has given to us His Holy Spirit to enable us.
I encourage you to pray more - to pray often, by reminding you that you can’t. We don’t rightly know how - We can no more pray than fly!
Ah - but. we. can!
