Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Groaning of Creation

"We  know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now."            Romans 8:22

Two years ago, during prayer, my Mom got this word "The whole earth is groaning."

Looking around this world lately there is probably little doubt in any one's mind that something unprecedented (at least in our lifetimes) is going on. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, bizarre weather patterns throughout the earth, animal die-offs and the like. It's just not normal, hasn't been for years, and continues to get stranger and stranger. But why? Why is creation groaning?

Only God could give us a complete answer to this question but here is what we do know:

When humankind fell ...all creation fell with it. This is not only biblical (read Genesis and Romans 8 for example) but is also obvious to the human eye. Even animals and plants sicken, catch diseases and die. In other words - OUR sin affected the whole planet. What makes people think that this has changed? There is a definite correlation between sin and what happens here on earth. Cause and effect, you could say, though scientists wouldn't agree because they only look at the physical and fail to take into consideration the spiritual. Needless to say, many scientists are probably a bit baffled by the events taking place on earth. Perhaps not by the natural disasters themselves as by the sheer number of catastrophes taking place lately. It's not just  the increase natural disasters, there has been a phenomenal number of animal die-offs lately. I couldn't find a site with all the statistics up until May but check out this site and here too. These sites will give you a general picture of how serious this issue is getting.

We know the Lord is allowing these events to happen in our day and I believe a good portion of it is due to the amount of sin in the world. As sin increases and our spirits groan under the weight of it- so too does the earth and all creation groan with us and these disasters will continue until we turn away from sin and turn toward the Lord.

Call it what you will - purification, chastisement, divine correction....the signs are everywhere and it's up to us whether we heed them or not.

11 comments:

  1. Remember the poem "Footprints in the sand"?

    Most of humanity is now walking in the opposite direction to God.

    May He bless you always.

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  2. Oh I certainly agree with the whole earth groaning. The labor pains are even get worse these days. Blessings to you my dear friend.

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  3. Mary,
    Thanks for bringing the link between our sin and how it can and does affect all of creation to the forefront. I don't think this is something we often think about but it makes sense. Just as one person's sin affects the whole Church (the reason for excommunication if it is serious sin)so it affects all of Creation. God did not create the world and give it to man to use and abuse.
    Excellent post! God bless.

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  4. Victor,
    Yes I remember that poem very well :) Many people are far away from the Lord and think that Christians are crazy for believing the way we do but I have great hope that this will change (but just not quite yet).
    God bless you too, Victor!

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  5. JBR,
    I wonder why it's so obvious to some folks but not to others? Even some Christians think that everything is "just fine and dandy" when we are surrounded by signs, both spiritual and physical, that tell us this is just not the case. God doesn't want us to be afraid but He certainly wants us to exercise some wisdom and wake up and see what's going on around us.
    Hugs to you, my friend :)

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  6. Karin,
    Our sin has very far reaching effects. Many of the saints were horrified when they became aware of the havoc even one sin can cause. There is always a ripple effect after sin and only God can stop it if He chooses to step in. The blessing is that good has an even stronger ripple effect!
    Anne sent me an interesting book called "The Invisible World" and in it it talks about the spirits around us (both good and evil). What interests me, and I have read this in other books also, is that demons FEED off human sin and it gives them more power. This, too, could be a reason why we are seeing such an increase in tragedies worldwide. Sin leaves us less open to receive God's blessings and instead leaves us vulnerable to the demonic instead ( who like nothing better than to destroy).

    Thanks for commenting and God bless you too!

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  7. Great post, Mary, I love the earth groaning anology. These are scary times...I do pray that we wake up and pay attention, and as Victor says, begin to walk together again.
    Andie

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  8. Thanks, Andie! Let's hope for the sake of the children in the world that things do change for the better. So many people in our day want to do as they will, forgetting the next generations that have to live here. I pray we leave them a legacy of hope, unity, and love and that things change soon with the help of God's grace. God bless!

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  9. Mary thank you for your continued support!!! Hugs.

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  10. Hugs to you too, JBR! I hope the troubles at work let up!

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  11. Thank you Mary for the link on my Blog. I've responded there.

    God bless.

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