Daily Devotion

Groaning

Today is Friday, the 27th of June. We take a moment to be still in His presence.

Psalm 31:19-34

Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
    which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
    in the sight of the children of mankind!
²⁰ In the cover of your presence you hide them
    from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
    from the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord,
    for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
    when I was in a besieged city.
²² I had said in my alarm,
    “I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
    when I cried to you for help.

²³ Love the Lord, all you his saints!
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
²⁴ Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

The Scripture Reading is taken from Romans 8: 18-26

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Reflection

Groaning gives voice to pain. For the sufferer, it brings release—especially when the pain is beyond words. It also signals to others that comfort or help is needed.

In this passage, we are told that creation itself is groaning (v.22). She longs to be freed from corruption. We see much beauty in God’s creation—mountains, oceans, life itself. Yet we also see ugliness: pollution, abuse, and even danger when nature turns violent. Increasingly, we witness how human warfare and greed devastate the natural world. Creation groans for redemption.

But it’s not just creation. We—the Church—groan too (v.23). Our groaning flows from the pain of suffering, and also from a deep yearning. We long for the redemption of our bodies, for the fullness of adoption, for the world to be set right. We groan in hope. We often pray, “Maranatha—Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). Our groaning becomes prayer.

Amazingly, we are told that God groans too. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. C. S. Lewis once asked: “Can God be in grief?” He moved on to say, “When the object of love is hurting, love becomes grief.”

In the Spirit’s intercession, God groans with us.

So when all you can do is groan—when words fail and only silent pain remains—know that you are not alone. You may be joining the groaning of creation. You may be joining the Church in her longing. And more deeply still, you are joining the Spirit of God, who groans with you, and for you.

We end with the Prayer of St John Chrysostom:

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time, 
with one accord to make our common supplications to you; 
and you have promised through your well-beloved Son 
that when two or three are gathered together in his Name 
you will grant their requests: 
Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; 
granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, 
and in the age to come life everlasting.
Amen.

---

Be blessed by this beautiful song, How Long by Oasis Chorale

How long, how long ’til this world is free from suffering?
How long, how long ’til blessed peace will reign?
How long, how long ’til the pow’r of love will come
And heaven’s will is done?
How long, how long?

How long, how long ’til every gun is silenced?
How long, how long ’til hate and war shall end;
’Til ev’ry battle’s thunder will fade to blessed peace
And sounds of war will cease? How long, how long?

Press on, press on, let faith and hope sustain you.
Press on, press on, keep working for the day
When all of God’s children will live in peace as one.
Until that new day comes, press on, press on.

Send me, send me to work for the kingdom.
Send me, send me to go and live for peace.
Until the love of heaven to earth shall descend
And peace will reign again, send me, send me.

Press on, we’ll press on. We will sing a peaceful song!
But still we’re praying on, how long, how long?

Link to today’s Morning Office

About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.

Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.

For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg.