For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. (Romans 8:22-24)
What rolls along your tongue, teasing it first with honeyed fun, then with sarcastic tartness? It’s the brilliant pairing of sugar and vinegar in sweet and sour sauce. God’s Spirit also blends a sauce that is sweet and sour at the same time.
The sweet ingredient is the experiential presence of the untamed Creator of the universe abiding in our hearts. The word that expresses this sugary confection gathers a hundred descriptions of the goodness of God, and pins them in the bull’s eye of speech. The word is joy—ecstatic, welling, dancing joy.
Next, God adds the sour ingredient. As we intercede for our loved ones, country, and world, the weeping of Christ folds groans into our prayers. It begins as a peculiar stillness, but it grows into a bone deep sadness. The world is far from what it should be, and Jesus grieves his pain through us for the hopeless, the harassed, and the hurting. We endure the crushing sorrow, yet, we do it with him.
The Christian’s deeper prayer life is a base of sweet joy spiked with sour groans. It’s a beautiful union with God’s great victory that shall overcome this present tragedy. It enters into Christ’s laughter, and his tears. We are named his friends, and called to share his business, both the sweet and the sour.
While we await our completion as sons and daughters, this holy sauce will flavor our prayers right up to the day that Jesus returns for the redemption of life.
Prayer: Dear Savior, I open my heart to both your joy and your pain.