November 18, 2025 

Romans 8:22–25 — All creation groans in expectation for redemption and the revealing of God’s children.

Devotional: There’s a sound to hope. It doesn’t always come in joyful songs or bright laughter. Sometimes it’s a groan—a deep, wordless ache that rises from the heart when faith holds on in the dark. Paul says in Romans that all creation groans as it waits for God’s redemption. It’s not the groan of despair; it’s the groan of labor—the sound of something new being born.

Isaiah 65 paints that very picture: a new heaven and a new earth where sorrow ends and joy begins. The two passages belong together—Isaiah saw the promise, and Paul felt the longing for it. Between the vision and the fulfillment stands discipleship. It’s the faithful work and witness that continues even when we can’t yet see the finished world God has promised.

Creation’s groaning reminds us that waiting doesn’t mean wasting. Every moment of patient endurance, every prayer whispered through tears, every act of love that costs us something—they all join the rhythm of redemption. The shaking of this world isn’t proof that God has abandoned it; it’s a sign that He’s still transforming it. Like a mother in labor, creation cries out—not because the pain is pointless, but because something beautiful is coming.

That’s true for us too. There are days when the weight of disappointment presses hard, when your faith feels stretched thin and your heart aches for peace that hasn’t come yet. But that ache is part of your calling—it’s the sound of your soul aligning with God’s promise. Romans 8 says that we groan inwardly as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Even our weariness is a kind of worship when we bring it to God instead of giving up.

So when the world shakes, and your prayers seem unanswered, remember: groaning doesn’t mean God’s absent. It means His Spirit is interceding through you. It means you’re part of creation’s song of expectation. The new world Isaiah described—the one where weeping ends and laughter fills the air—is not far off. It’s forming, quietly, through faithful disciples like you.

Keep hoping. Keep working. Keep trusting that even the groans of this moment are the labor pains of glory.

Action: When discouragement hits today, breathe deeply and remind yourself, “This ache is proof that God is still at work.”

Prayer: Lord, when I grow weary, remind me that the world’s groaning isn’t defeat—it’s birth. Let my waiting become worship, and my faith become part of Your new creation song. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Thought for the Day: Even the ache of waiting is a holy sound when it points toward glory.