Sunday: Hearing the Groans

The universe can seem like a very scary place: vast, cold, and so big we sense our own insignificance and meaninglessness amid it. This fear has become even more prevalent with the advent of modern science, whose giant telescopes have revealed a cosmos much larger and vaster than our imaginations can readily grasp. Add to that the extravagant claims of Darwinism, which in most popular versions dismisses the idea of a Creator, and people can, understandably, struggle with a sense of hopelessness amid a vast creation that seems to care nothing about us.

Image © Educational Concepts from GoodSalt.com

Of course, the Bible gives us a different view of our place in the creation.

What do the following texts teach about God’s compassion toward His fallen and broken creation here on earth?

Judg. 2:16-18

2 Kings 13:23

Isa. 54:7-8, Isa. 54:10

Contrary to the popular notion of the God of the Old Testament as stern, mean, unforgiving, and uncompassionate, especially in contrast to Jesus and how He is represented in the New Testament, these texts are just a few of many in the Old Testament that reveal God’s compassion for humanity.

What does Exodus 2:23-25 teach us about how God deals with suffering?

God deeply cares about people (see James 5:11). This is a theme that is seen all through the Bible.

“His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. . . . Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. . . . No calamity can befall the least of His children . . . of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest.” – Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 100.

What kind of collective groans are going up toward heaven in your community, and how can God use you to sympathize with and to help those who are suffering?

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Here is a little story from the "Australian bush" which perhaps illustrates the idea of listening to those in need. The original full story in Henry Lawson's "Shall we Gather at the River" This is just an excerpt from the story. It is about a bush minister Peter M'Laughlan:

There's the yarn about Peter and the dying cattle at Piora Station one terrible drought, when the surface was as bare as your hand for hundreds of miles, and the heat like the breath of a furnace, and the sheep and cattle were perishing by thousands. Peter M'Laughlan was out on the run helping the station-hands to pull out cattle that had got bogged in the muddy waterholes and were too weak to drag themselves out, when, about dusk, a gentlemanly "piano-fingered" parson, who had come to the station from the next town, drove out in his buggy to see the men. He spoke to Peter M'Laughlan.

"Brother," he said, "do you not think we should offer up a prayer?"

"What for?" asked Peter, standing in his shirt sleeves, a rope in his hands and mud from head to foot.

"For? Why, for rain, brother," replied the parson, a bit surprised.

Peter held up his finger and said "Listen!"

Now, with a big mob of travelling stock camped on the plain at night, there is always a lowing, soughing or moaning sound, a sound like that of the sea on the shore at a little distance; and, altogether, it might be called the sigh or yawn of a big mob in camp. But the long, low moaning of cattle dying of hunger and thirst on the hot barren plain in a drought is altogether different, and, at night there is something awful about it--you couldn't describe it. This is what Peter M'Laughlan heard.

"Do you hear that?" he asked the other preacher.

The little parson said he did. Perhaps _he_ only heard the weak lowing of cattle.

"Do you think that God will hear us when He does not hear _that_?" asked Peter.

The parson stared at him for a moment and then got into his buggy and drove away, greatly shocked and deeply offended. But, later on, over tea at the homestead, he said that he felt sure that that "unfortunate man," Peter M'Laughlan, was not in his right mind; that his wandering, irregular life, or the heat, must have affected him.

Christianity really is about getting covered in mud. Praying for miracles is fine but nothing works like the miracle of getting stuck into the job at hand irrespective of our dignity.

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Comments

Sunday: Hearing the Groans — 15 Comments

Errol E Grosvenor on August 14, 2016 at 1:49 am said:

When we have the same love in our hearts that God has for us, we are better able to care and have compassion and mercy for those who are in bondage, who are hurting and who are oppressed.

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- Maurice Ashton on August 14, 2016 at 3:42 am said:
  
  You are quite right Errol. The question we need to answer is; how good are our ears and picking up the signals that people are crying out because they are in bondage, are hurting, or oppressed. All too often we offer rational explanations for their behavior, or worse, we tell them that they do not read their Bible or Spirit of Prophecy enough. Take the time to visit with those who feel disenfranchised by their church. If we cannot hear their groaning, what can God do about it?
  
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Myrtle Maundy on August 14, 2016 at 3:53 am said:

Daily we must ask God to help us to heat the groans and respond to them
The groans of hunger, thirst ,drug and alcohol addiction, relationships going or gone bad and any human need that surround us must arouse compassion
We are His instruments to alleviate pain and suffering and bring hope of salvation to the community
Are we hearing and helping those who groan

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- Daniel Githuri on August 14, 2016 at 10:59 am said:
  
  I think its true ,we should ask daily for God's help in order to forget our selfish ambitions and think the way we can be of help to those who are suffering.A miracle must be done daily to our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
  
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Ruschell Goulding on August 14, 2016 at 5:46 am said:

All of these text reveal God's compassion for humanity, he loves us and he is willing to forgive us, but we should be genuine in our repentance...God is a sympathetic God, and we should follow Jesus actions, in terms of how we interact with each other

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Edwin Ochieng on August 14, 2016 at 7:12 am said:

Indeed God cares for his people who endure but what is my role as a Christian? There is something I have to do to the young and lonely in faith. What I've experienced is loneliness is what makes the newly converted turn around to even a more worse state. Those who've been to this faith, if you ask them why they walked away, their first response is "there is no love in that church.

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Bulumko V. Msengana Dr on August 14, 2016 at 4:51 pm said:

A distinctive mark of God's character is being a compassionate and gracious God(Exodus 33:9) even when humanity is rebellious and unfaithful to Him. This is God's expression of His love for all humanity. The parable of the good Samaritan lays emphasis on the need for God's children to be sensitive to the needs of all people regardless of their background or personal distinction. Paul admonished the Colosians to, "Clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness....." (Col. 3:12-13). As a church in the community we are to work synergistically to understand and meet the needs of the poor, infirmed, aged and marginalised members of our society. We exist to feed the hungry, thirsty; care for the sick; help the sick; comfort the bereaved; empower the powerless; speak out for the powerless and oppressed and make the gospel alive.

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Alison Simon on August 14, 2016 at 7:21 pm said:

We need the power of the Holy Spirit to perform it's operating work of transformation on our hearts. Thus resulting in the denial of self which would Enable us to experience the love of God in our hearts. Whereby we can be sensitive to the cry/groaning of those that are suffering and to act.

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- Maurice Ashton on August 14, 2016 at 11:16 pm said:
  
  Quite possibly the groaning is the work of the Holy Spirit working on us. If we cannot hear the groaning of the suffering, maybe we need to seek out an ear specialist to check our hearing
  
  I am hearing impaired. I thought I was doing pretty well with my hearing until Carmel, my wife, convinced me to get a hearing test. Essentially I had lost over 60% of my hearing and could no longer hear a lot of things. I bought a pair of hearing aids tuned specifically to my ears and suddenly the world came alive with sound that I had been missing for years.
  
  We need to think about our spiritual hearing and if we suspect it is not working maybe a visit to the spiritual "hearing specialist" is in order. We need to be re-sensitized to the needs of others.
  
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JohnHerscher on August 15, 2016 at 4:40 am said:

What if our hearing is not augmented with a hearing aid? God gave us other senses to compensate, which are enhanced when one other sense is deficient. For instance, Maurice was able to identify the laughing kookaburra by its plumage rather than its high pitched laugh before he received his hearing aids.
Yes, I too believe the Holy Spirit has the power to intensify our senses to be in tune with the needs of others, if we yield to His groanings, Christ called it pricking. "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." Acts 9:5.

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Desmond Hector on August 15, 2016 at 1:50 pm said:

The holy spirit is always available to us ," but we ",most of the times are not willing to be use by the holy spirit.When we make our self available, without any shadow of a doubt ,great and marvelous things ,will be done in Jesus name.

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Maurice Ashton on August 16, 2016 at 2:23 pm said:

Here is a little story from the "Australian bush" which perhaps illustrates the idea of listening to those in need. The original full story in Henry Lawson's "Shall we Gather at the River" This is just an excerpt from the story. It is about a bush minister Peter M'Laughlan:

There's the yarn about Peter and the dying cattle at Piora Station one terrible drought, when the surface was as bare as your hand for hundreds of miles, and the heat like the breath of a furnace, and the sheep and cattle were perishing by thousands. Peter M'Laughlan was out on the run helping the station-hands to pull out cattle that had got bogged in the muddy waterholes and were too weak to drag themselves out, when, about dusk, a gentlemanly "piano-fingered" parson, who had come to the station from the next town, drove out in his buggy to see the men. He spoke to Peter M'Laughlan.

"Brother," he said, "do you not think we should offer up a prayer?"

"What for?" asked Peter, standing in his shirt sleeves, a rope in his hands and mud from head to foot.

"For? Why, for rain, brother," replied the parson, a bit surprised.

Peter held up his finger and said "Listen!"

Now, with a big mob of travelling stock camped on the plain at night, there is always a lowing, soughing or moaning sound, a sound like that of the sea on the shore at a little distance; and, altogether, it might be called the sigh or yawn of a big mob in camp. But the long, low moaning of cattle dying of hunger and thirst on the hot barren plain in a drought is altogether different, and, at night there is something awful about it--you couldn't describe it. This is what Peter M'Laughlan heard.

"Do you hear that?" he asked the other preacher.

The little parson said he did. Perhaps _he_ only heard the weak lowing of cattle.

"Do you think that God will hear us when He does not hear _that_?" asked Peter.

The parson stared at him for a moment and then got into his buggy and drove away, greatly shocked and deeply offended. But, later on, over tea at the homestead, he said that he felt sure that that "unfortunate man," Peter M'Laughlan, was not in his right mind; that his wandering, irregular life, or the heat, must have affected him.

Christianity really is about getting covered in mud. Praying for miracles is fine but nothing works like the miracle of getting stuck into the job at hand irrespective of our dignity.

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Reply ↓
- Paul Blanke on August 18, 2016 at 10:36 pm said:
  
  I will never completely understand Australia and the outback or whatever the bush is. What I do understand is need, and hopelessness. The axiom of no atheist in foxholes is well known. The last drop of oil and meal for a cake to give Elijah is one of the best examples from the Bible I know. Answers that we pray for but find it difficult for us to understand and rationalize the outcome. Akin to the analogy bad things that happen to good people. Faith has to be included somewhere in the equation also. The widow and her son knew that their future outcome was certain. Yes hind sight is 20/20
  
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Simon Zimuto on August 17, 2016 at 4:50 am said:

Satan nowadays knows that God's people are listening to GROANS.Some people have masquareaded as if needing help and some of God's people have fallen prey to these acts of crooks. How can we be wise enough to hear the real groans against false ones?

Another problem: A motorist driving along the highway saw a woman carrying a baby and luggage in an attempt to help her he was attacked by robbers. How can we help nowadays without falling a victim to robbers?

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Elvis ofosuhene on August 18, 2016 at 2:25 pm said:

I find psalm 41:1-3 relates to this lesson:

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

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Paul Blanke on August 18, 2016 at 11:50 pm said:

Psalms 19:14 is a very familiar text that David sang as a Hymn and is very prayerful. The entire chapter of Psalms 19 bears repeating and a thorough examination of each verse and the application as understood. There is a reference to the statutes, commandments, and some from Paul in Romans 7. I spent about two hours of very meaningful reading. Verse 14 is special to us because it gives us hope and assurance as the song says, Oh what a fortaste of glory divine, Jesus is mine.

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Sunday: Hearing the Groans — 15 Comments

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