When You Don't Know What To Pray
Pastor Matthew opened this message by pointing back to Psalm 23, one of the most familiar passages in scripture. He explained that when David wrote, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," he was not saying every desire would be met. Instead, he was making a statement of deep trust, that because God is his shepherd, David could believe he had exactly what he needed in that moment, even if it did not look the way he expected.
Pastor Matthew explained that this kind of trust becomes possible when believers understand what the Holy Spirit does for them, especially in seasons of suffering and confusion.
Present Suffering And Future Glory
Turning to Romans 8, Pastor Matthew explained that Paul spends the first part of the chapter reminding believers that they are adopted children of God with no condemnation against them. But starting in verse 18, Paul addresses a real tension. Being a child of God does not mean life will be free of pain.
Paul writes that he considers present suffering not worth comparing to the future glory that is coming. Pastor Matthew was careful to explain that Paul is not minimizing pain or telling believers to simply push through. Instead, Paul's confidence rests entirely in how great that future glory will be, a place with no more sin, sickness, anxiety, or separation from God.
Creation Groaning For Redemption
Pastor Matthew walked through Paul's description of creation itself waiting for redemption. Because of sin, not just humanity but the entire created world was affected, and it longs to be set free. Paul compares this to a woman in labor, using the image of pain that comes with the promise of a payoff.
Pastor Matthew shared a personal story about his wife giving birth to their four children without medication. In the middle of one particularly difficult labor, she told him through the pain that she did not think she could do it again. Moments after the baby was born, she told him the opposite. Pastor Matthew used this to illustrate Paul's point that in the moment of pain, things feel unbearable, but in the moment of payoff, it becomes clear it was worth it.
What It Means To Groan
Paul uses the word groaning three times in this passage, and Pastor Matthew defined it as the deep, sometimes wordless expression of pain over what is broken, paired with a longing for it to be made right. He explained that this groaning is not limited to unbelievers or those who lack faith. Paul is talking directly to Christians who carry the Holy Spirit and still hurt deeply.
Pastor Matthew shared a personal story about a time he fell off a ladder while building a shed, describing the involuntary sound of pain that came out of him in that moment. He connected this to the deeper, more guttural sounds of grief he has heard from behind hospital doors, the kind of pain too big for words. He defined groaning in this fuller sense as the aching response to life as it is, paired with longing for life as God has promised it will one day be.
The Spirit Intercedes For Us
Pastor Matthew then turned to Romans 8:26 and 27, where Paul explains what the Holy Spirit does in response to that groaning. Rather than rebuking, shaming, or growing distant from believers in their pain, the Spirit intercedes for them with groanings too deep for words.
Pastor Matthew explained that the Spirit does not groan out of helplessness but out of deep, personal love and connection. He compared this to the way a parent feels a child's pain even while knowing the future will be good. He shared how he has sat with his own children through rejection, failure, and disappointment, fully confident their future would be brighter, yet still feeling their pain alongside them. He explained that this is the picture Paul gives of the Holy Spirit, who already knows the redemptive plan but still meets believers in their pain and cares deeply.
The Spirit Prays Perfect Prayers
Pastor Matthew connected this to Psalm 139, where the psalmist declares that God searches him and knows him completely. He explained that the Holy Spirit knows every believer's heart, mind, pain, and joy, while also perfectly knowing God's will and plan for their life.
Because of this, Pastor Matthew explained that the Holy Spirit prays prayers that are perfectly aligned with both where a person is and where God is leading them. He emphasized that these prayers are always answered, since the Spirit is praying exactly what aligns with God's will. This truth, he said, is meant to bring deep comfort in moments when someone does not even know what to pray for.
All Things Working Together For Good
Pastor Matthew moved into Romans 8:28, reminding listeners that God's promise is not that everything experienced will be good, but that God can take even painful and difficult things and work them together for good. He explained the progression Paul describes, that those God foreknew, he predestined, called, justified, and will ultimately glorify, a process that moves every believer toward being made new.
He encouraged listeners that even in seasons of confusion or struggle, it is enough to bring that honesty to God, even without the right words. Sometimes, he said, it is enough to simply groan in God's presence and trust that the Spirit is praying on your behalf.
Nothing Can Separate Us From God's Love
Pastor Matthew closed by reading Romans 8:31-39, one of the most well known passages in scripture. He emphasized that if God did not spare His own Son for us, there is no reason to believe He would ever reject us over something we have done. Paul lists trouble, distress, and hardship of every kind, declaring that none of it can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Pastor Matthew reminded listeners that the same God who is all-knowing and all-powerful is also completely loving, and is committed to using every part of a believer's story for good.
Closing In Prayer
Pastor Matthew closed the message in prayer, thanking the Holy Spirit for being a friend, helper, comforter, and advocate. He prayed for everyone listening who feels distracted by pain to be reminded that God has not given up on them, that He is not distant or indifferent, and that He is working every difficulty toward a redemptive purpose. He prayed for supernatural peace and a renewed sense that God is on their side, even while waiting for full redemption.
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If you are looking for a church in Lancaster or a church in Logan, we would love to welcome you to The Tree Church. We are one church meeting at two campuses in Ohio. Join us any Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM.
We can't wait to meet you this Sunday!