“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” – Romans 8:20-22
These verses paint a vivid picture of a world in waiting—a creation groaning under the weight of corruption, longing for liberation. Paul writes that “creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Just like us, creation cannot free itself. No amount of environmental effort or human innovation can reverse the curse of sin. The earth is not waiting for a policy—it’s waiting for a Person. And that Person is Jesus Christ. When He returns, the groaning will cease, and the glory will begin. The Millennial Kingdom will be the first glimpse of this restoration, but the full unveiling will come in the New Heavens and New Earth. That’s why Paul says our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20)—we’re not looking for the antichrist, we’re looking for the Savior.
Until that day, creation continues to groan. Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” It’s not just a poetic metaphor—it’s a spiritual reality. Every tree, every ocean, every mountain echoes the pain of a fallen world. One sin from one man defiled the entire universe. As the theologian Haldane once wrote, “Sin, which is the leprosy of man, has not only defiled our bodies and souls but…infected all of creation.” But these groanings are not hopeless—they are birth pangs. And birth pangs always point to something beautiful. No mother endures labor expecting tragedy—she endures because she knows joy is coming. Likewise, creation groans because glory is on the way.
Don’t waste your time staring at the darkness—look for the dawn. Don’t get caught up in fear or speculation about the end times. Spend your days looking for the Savior and telling others about Him. The groaning you feel in your soul, the ache for something more, is not a sign of despair—it’s a sign of hope. It’s the Spirit within you stretching your neck toward the horizon, waiting for the final unveiling. When Christ returns, we will see Him as He is, and we will be like Him. That is the final realization. That is the glory creation longs for. Let that hope shape your life today. Let it encourage your heart to worship, to witness, and to wait well.
“The whole creation is represented as groaning together, as if in the throes of childbirth, awaiting the new order of things. It is not merely suffering—it is travailing, anticipating the glory to come.”
— Charles Hodge
surrendered devotions 