And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:26-28 NLT
Exercise is not enjoyable for me. I know it’s necessary for health, but I avoid pain at all costs. When things get uncomfortable, I look for ways to make it stop, often abandoning things midstream. Yes, I have left group exercise classes early and deserted 30-minute workout circuits. Once I get to a certain threshold of pain, I quit. God has been showing me that there is a certain level of pain connected to walking in our purpose.
Romans 8:28 says everything. Everything means good, bad, and in-between. I don’t know about you, but pain is bad to me. Yet, God’s word says even pain can work out to be for the good. As I started to reflect, Pain can enhance purpose in several ways. It can increase our maturity (Romans 5:3-5), increase awareness of our sin (Hebrews 12:10-13), reduce doing things in our own strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), and to glorify God (John 9:1-3). When we refuse to engage in situations because they are uncomfortable, we may forfeit walking in the fullness of God’s will. This means there are certain painful and uncomfortable situations that God is ultimately using for good things.
To birth what our Heavenly Father has spoken into our spirit and bring it into the physical realm, we’ve got to put in the work, even if it’s uncomfortable. In order to come into the fullness of our purpose, we have to push through the pain. If we avoid pain, we compromise our purpose and wind up delaying the thing we’ve been called to birth into the world. Today, I want to remind you that God understands the groans of pain; keep pushing, it’s coming together for the good. It ain’t over ’til it’s good!
This is a great and timely word my sister!