Christians Sigh - On letting Out a Sigh (Focus 3 of 4)

Consider this ice breaker as you gather for the Spotlight.
Have you ever been in a situation where...

• things didn't go the way you hoped
• but also turned out better than you expected?

If so, please share!

Hope is, by definition, unfulfilled - but does that mean it is unfulfilling?

Now that you've answered the icebreaker question, here's another question to think about, this one about hope. In Focus 2 of this "On Letting Out a Sigh" Spotlight series, there was a lot of emphasis on the fact that all of creation (not just humanity) sighs.

This was drawn from Romans 8:20-22:
"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."

That idea is followed immediately by an entire section on this thing called hope.
"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:23-25)

See what this Spotlight—and series—is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 3" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Pray with Augustine.

Augustine was a famous Christian from the 4th Century. He wasn’t always a saint, though—he spent much of his early life wandering, searching for meaning in success and pleasure. He tried different philosophies and lifestyles, but none of them satisfied. Augustine’s deep sighs, his frustrations, and his search for something more eventually led him to faith in Jesus.

The words below come from Augustine’s own reflection on that journey. They are an acknowledgment of how, even in his uncertainty and struggle, God remained steady and faithful. Let’s pray these words together as our own confession of both our wandering and our hope:

Lord,
I sighed and you heard me.
I wavered and you steadied me.
I travelled along the broad way of the world,
but you did not desert me.
Amen.

Listen and read along about firstfruits and the harvest.

All winter they’d been living off of stored food. Grain in barns, dried meat, preserved berries—if they ate something else, it was foraged and hard to come by. As winter drew to a close, they planned their planting to yield as bountiful a harvest as possible. Spring came and they prepared their fields, cast their seed, and got ready to do all they could to protect their growing crop. Then at last, sprouts pushed through and slowly turned into vines and plants. Blossoms turned to fruits and vegetables as heads of grain appeared on stalks. Finally, at just the right time, this harvest (that they’d been waiting for since winter) was ready.

But not for them.
The firstfruits—whatever was ready and picked first—belonged to the Lord.

Proverbs 3:9-10 says,
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

It was an act of trust for God's people to take the first batch of what would refill their emptied stores and give it way to the Lord. It was a trust in a promise: that he’d overflow blessing back to them. Firstfruits giving was an act that gave evidence to faith that God would keep his promises.

Paul steals this “firstfruits” imagery in Romans 8:23. He says,
“Not only so, but we ourselves, (believers in Jesus) who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”

But if you notice in this case, instead of the firstfruits being an offering that comes from humans to God (to which he responds in blessing), both the firstfruits and the blessing come from God!

God gives us the Spirit
who produces firstfruits in us,
and each of these firstfruits in us
points ahead to a final, yet-to-be-fulfilled harvest of blessing.

Create a list of firstfruits and their harvest.
Now, let’s make this tangible. Make another list of firstfruits—blessings in your life right now.

Then, look ahead and write down the harvest of blessing to which each firstfruit on your list points. (Remember that often the firstfruit, while a holy gift from God, exists under a layer of sin on earth. In heaven, that sin is no more.)

As an example, here are some of the fruits of the Spirit that Paul lists in Galatians 5:22–23 with their corresponding heavenly fulfillment…

Read and watch how hope aligns with mental health.

REMEMBER THE RANTS? HERE"S WHY>>>
This concept is being affirmed in a recent focus on something called “positive psychology.” Watch this summary of a book about positive psychology (you can stop watching when he starts talking about giving away a free book…):

Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Let’s try a different approach to prayer today.
If you’re like most of us, prayer might seem like one of the following…

1. A script we activate (“Now I lay me down to sleep… Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest…”)
2. A wish list for Santa (Bless me with this and this, fix this, and help me with this)
3. A list of instructions—step-by-step directions—we give God for how to bless us (God, please help me with ____ by giving me _____ so that I can _____ and keep _____ from happening)
   
   

None of those are wrong, but they might give the impression that God needs our guidance - which he doesn’t. We need his. Read through the Psalms and you’ll quickly find a different approach to prayer. It usually follows a pattern more like this…

1. God, you’re awesome.
2. This stinks.
3. Like, really, this stinks.
4. I know you love me.
5. But seriously, this stinks.
6. (Sooo… much.)
7. But I trust you.
   
   

So, for our prayer today, we’re going to think about things that make us groan and that, while on earth, will never stop making us groan. No matter what we do to try to fix them, we never will.

If you’re doing this in a group, choose a reader. They’ll read the words below. After each section, they’ll pause to give anyone in the group a chance to chime in and raise something up to Jesus that’s on their heart and falls under that category.

(Feel free to quietly play this atmospheric, instrumental music while you work your way through the prayer—below.)

Lord Jesus, You are the one who can turn any obstacle into hope. Every day we groan and we wait.

For those who groan from lack of food and resources, who try with all they have to support themselves and those they love but keep falling back, Lord, hear our sigh.

*Pause for prayers from the group.

For people who are carrying in their bodies chronic illness or who are fighting for their lives against disease; for countries that are held prisoner by diseases, Lord, hear our sigh.

*Pause for prayers from the group.

For men and women who have lost their jobs and struggle to find a means to support themselves and to find pride in their accomplishment, Lord, hear our sigh.

*Pause for prayers from the group.

For those wake up every day to hatred, violence, and prejudice, for cities and nations that exist in a constant state of violence and disunity, Lord, hear our sigh.

*Pause for prayers from the group.

For those who have lost part of their heart to a loved one dying or to betrayal or to some other loss; who wonder if they'll ever fill this whole in their life; for those who feel such loneliness and crave companionship, Lord, hear our sigh.

*Pause for prayers from the group.

With every breath we stand with creation and exhale our groans. Lord Jesus, as we breathe back in, fill us with a sense of eager expectation. You have set your promises before us. Your promises are the glory that waits.

Be with us, Jesus. Amen.

Sing along with (or listen to) this song to close out this Spotlight.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.

Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.

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