We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves. (Romans 8:22-23)
It’s a graphic image—creation itself groaning, longing for liberation. The fall of man in Genesis brought not only spiritual ruin but physical and environmental consequences. All of creation now suffers under the weight of sin and decay. But this groaning is not hopeless—it’s like childbirth, filled with expectation of new life. There is coming a day when the Lord Jesus will return and the curse will be lifted. The natural world, once marred and polluted by human sin, will be restored. Isaiah 35:1 promises that even the desert will blossom. With Christ reigning in righteousness, the earth will once again reflect God’s goodness, and He will say, as in the beginning, It is very good (Genesis 1:31). Do we, too, groan inwardly, longing for the full realisation of our salvation—when our mortal bodies will be transformed and we will fully experience the freedom and glory of being God’s children (Romans 8:21)?
