We sometimes ask ourselves, “Why is life so difficult?”  It’s not that it’s difficult all of the time.  There are days when the sun shines, the sky is blue, and the white pillowy clouds in the sky float about like giant balls of cotton.  But on the other side, there are seasons of our lives where storm clouds like sea billows roll and it seems as if our whole world is in turmoil.  The groanings of life might well begin with simple things — little annoyances that irritate us and take away our joy.  And then there are the larger things —the death of a relationship, or a beloved friend; an unexpected diagnosis from the doctor; the tragic news of a good deed done with all the best intentions gone suddenly wrong with those closest to us being hurt.  These and other life issues can cause our spirits to groan while we impatiently wait for our change ot come.  And for reasons we fully understand, our faith and belief in God and Christ doesn’t stop life from happening to us, nor does it prevent our groans from being a natural part of our existence.  And more and more these days, we can sense Mother nature groaning as she experiences her own birth pangs as unexpected weather patterns shift to hit parts of our world in ways they’ve never hit before to our knowledge.  It seems as if we’re all waiting for and hoping for the same thing — God to come and save us.  And our hope is in knowing that God is the only One who can save us.  It’s with this knowledge that the hope of salvation remains a living constant in our lives, and our faith that only God can save us is our reality.

• What life-experiences have impacted you that has caused you to groan for God’s salvation?
• When you find yourself in that “groaning state”, how does crying out to God comfort you?
• How does your faith keep you hopeful knowing that God will save you?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Merciful and loving God, by the power of Your grace, let me find a blessed assurance and hope through my faith that You hear me when I groan and will save me.

         Have you ever considered the emotional and spiritual condition of a person who feels so overwhelmed by life that when — what appears to be their last resort — they find themselves on their knees crying out to God for relief?  There is a certain amount of human resolve that compels us to face life’s challenges on our own.  We fight those challenges when we can.  We seek solace from our friends, family, and professional help.  But when we find ourselves at the end of our rope — when we find that we can no longer bear life’s burden alone, we cry out to our God.  We want and need someone greater than ourselves to come and relieve our suffering, to save us from our broken and overwhelming condition.  We want and need someone who has greater resources than we have to answer our need.  The person on our “go-to list” is God and we open ourselves up to God in prayer.

         A huge part of our relief comes when we know that we can lift up our deepest concerns to God.  Even greater relief comes when we can know and believe that God has heard our cries and is in the process of responding to our needs.  Our relief comes because we know that our God is able.  God knows the source of grief, our anxieties, our frustrations, and everything else that causes our Spirits to be disturbed.  And it’s as much our spirit, as it is God’s spirit within us that experiences the disturbance.  Our emotions respond to the lack of peace we experience from within and we cry out to God in our anguish and our unwillingness to bear the burdens of our own humanity.  We look to God once again to come and save us.  We want God to save us from our situations whatever they may be.  We want God to save us from ourselves, because we feel powerless and lack the overall strength of spirit to do it on our own.

         We call to God seeking mercy and God responds to our need for mercy.  God responds to our pleas for relief and in keeping with God’s nature, God saves us.

• What personal issues have driven you in your despair to the throne of God’s grace?
• How have you experienced God’s saving grace in great times of personal need?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, Your grace is the healing balm that soothes my soul and brings peace to my spirit. Thank You for shedding Your grace and mercy upon me.

         There is one thing that many of us can all agree on.  Everybody wants to be loved and needs love — the kind of love that is genuine, appreciative love that is unrelated to its merit.  Sometimes we can get that type of love from our parents.  They might forgive us for anything we do to mess up our lives.  But life can come at us hard.  We’re born, and our parents raise us to the best of their abilities (those of us who had loving parents).  But somewhere along the line we separate from our parents.  We cut the apron strings and begin to find out what life is really about.  Our personal development continues as we make mistakes, seek forgiveness, and recover from those mistakes.  How we deal with the fallout from those who either don’t understand our position or are unwilling to forgive what we’ve done becomes the crucible where we are tested by fire.  And if the fallout from those who have not taken our mistake kindly is strong enough, it can have a devastating effect on us spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.  Not everyone can easily brush off resentment, hatred, anguish, back-biting, and abandonment that comes from those closest to us.  And regrettably, not everyone has a relationship with God.  But for those of us who do, there is great comfort in knowing that in the midst of life’s trials and tragedies and other people’s plans and schemes for retribution, we have a God who is ready to save us.  And we are so confident in our God’s willingness to show us mercy and save us that we go to God believing that God is our savior, that God is willing to save us, and trusting that God will do — out of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and unfailing love — that which allows us to live in safety.

• What do you think it’s like to be on the retaliatory end of other people’s anger and resentment?
• What is your experience of turning to God to be saved in your times of trial or distress?
• How did you learn that God was trustworthy to save and be merciful?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, when it seems as if my world is crashing all around me, keep me mindful that when I cry out to You, You alone can always show mercy and save me.