What can we say? Life is hard. We all face struggles. Paul talked about suffering (ours and in the world) just prior to these verses. He speaks of "groaning" - and yes, life does have a groaning quality. In fact, the longer we live, the more acquainted with grief and groaning we become. But, there is a glorious day coming! And in the meantime, God is at work even in the suffering, hardship, and groaning. There is good that comes from the bad. So what are we to do in the hardship? Get to know the Holy Spirit; practice prayer; trust the goodness of the heavenly Father; invest yourself in the relationships of brothers and sisters; look forward, not backward.

When in Rome

The Promise for When Life Is Hard

Romans 8:26-30

Time flies. ------------ vs ------------Time stands still.

The promise for when life is hard:

1. Look beyond your struggle

v26, "The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness..."

Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."

v26, "...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."

2. Rest in the certainty of His presence

v27, "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."

Alister Begg, "We may be unsure of what to pray, the Spirit is never confused."

3. Trust in His amazing promise

v28, 

"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."

John Piper, "With God, even the worst things get woven into the best story."

Ephesians 1:13-14, "...when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people."

Bottom line:

If you can trust God with the promises for your future,

surely you can trust Him in the problems of here and now.