And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23)

Part of the reason our bodies fail us is that we are longing for the completion of our adoption as sons and daughters of the King. This does not mean that we don’t fully belong to the King already. It just means that there is more for us.

Part of this more is the redemption of our bodies. Although we experience glimpses of the restoration of our bodies in this lifetime, we do not experience complete redemption in this area until we receive our perfect bodies as Jesus did at the time of his resurrection.

In the meantime we groan inwardly. Sometimes it is an audible groan as our body doesn’t act like it used to when we were younger. Sometimes we are in pain as we suffer a disease physically. All these signs are indications that we are longing for something more. This will not happen in our life on earth. In the meantime we long for that which has been promised to us, that which Jesus already tasted for us, that which is yet awaiting us.

Sonship is physical, as well as spiritual, mental and emotional. We long for well-being in all of these areas in our life. Every time we experience a healing of some kind in our body, mind, or emotions, we are tasting of the goodness of the Lord. We long for more. We long for complete healing in all of these areas.

In the meantime we groan. Yes, I am repeating myself. Yes, I am starting to sound like a broken record. But maybe that is the reality of our state of being in the in between time.

As we have the Holy Spirit, we have a taste of what is to come. We have the first fruits of what is available to us. In the meantime we long, we hope, we anticipate, we wait, anxiously or not so anxiously. Some have a keener awareness of this expectation than others.

Blessed are the sons and daughters of the Father because we know there is more to come. We wait with eager expectation for the completion of our physical bodies. We know there is more on the horizon.

By Ralph Veenstra