(3.) The Gospel Story of Tobit: Groans and Sighs
(3.) The Gospel Story of Tobit: Groans and Sighs.
“Grief-stricken in spirit, I groaned and wept aloud. Then with sobs of sorrow, I began to pray...” (3:1).
GROAN: (in biblical terms, a groan and a sigh are interchangeable); a wordless sound uttered in pain, grief, or sorrow; a visceral sound full of deep emotion but often without language; a personal expression of inner disturbance during difficulty; a raw pain of the heart weighed down with suffering and distress. The Hebrew word points to the distress of being in a tight spot with an inner feeling of pressure or constriction like in childbirth. The Greek word for groan is rooted in the word for ‘to give birth.’ “Prayer is language used in relation to God. God speaks to us; our answers are our prayers. The answers are not always articulate. Silence, sighs, groaning – these also constitute responses.” (Eugene Peterson).
God Understands Groans. Ever since the world was marred, God has been listening to and understanding groans. Ever since sin entered the world, groans have been woven into every aspect of life on earth. Creation groans; Jesus groaned; the Holy Spirit groans; believers groan. God has been listening to people groan for a long time… “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning…” (Exodus 2:24). Long before that, God heard the miserable groaning of Hagar as she ran away from Sarah to the wilderness: “Behold you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, which means ‘God hears.’ Because the Lord Yahweh has heard you in your misery.” (Genesis 16:11).
From Groaning to Rejoicing. So it’s okay to groan. It’s not sinful to sigh. It is human to lament. We don’t need permission from anybody, no less God, to groan and sigh to God when the situation calls for it. So many of the psalmist’s prayers were composed amidst groans. The key for all of us is not to get stuck there, but to offer our groans to the Lord and ask Him for His presence in our distress, and to eventually turn our groaning into dancing. Groaning can actually be a spiritual gift in which we are afforded a way to express our thoughts and feelings at the deepest level to a God who always stands ready to listen and respond.
Jesus groaned. Whenever we find ourselves groaning, we can be assured that Jesus has been there before us. After his friend Lazarus died, Mary and Martha and all their friends were mourning and weeping, and Jesus groaned deeply. The groan of Christ has been described in many vivid ways in the many translations: a deep-seated agitation; greatly distressed and troubled; a profound sigh; shuddering with emotion; chafed in spirit; indignant and angry (apparently at the effects of sin and the very existence of death). Words were not sufficient to express His distress, and He groaned and sighed and perhaps even snorted like an agitated horse. This is one of the few times in the gospels where Jesus reveals raw emotion. It was important for Jesus to join in the grief of His friends, so He groaned in His spirit before He even ventured to raise Lazarus from the dead. Whenever we groan, He joins us in solidarity as well. When we groan, He groans along with us.
Believers groan. “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us.” (Romans 8:23). Along with all of creation, and in partnership with the Holy Spirit, we also groan. We groan inwardly, and sometimes outwardly, as we wait for the redemption of the world. We are waiting, sometimes impatiently, for the time when we won’t have to suffer the consequences of a fallen world. We hope for the time when we will fully participate in the life of Christ within us. We groan that we might experience some of the fullness of our status as God’s children. We yearn for the time when sin will be eradicated, and pain, and suffering, and violence, and injustice. We long for the day when we won’t be challenged by temptation and spiritual warfare. We wait for the time when our world-weariness will turn into spiritual rest. O, to live in an untainted world, where sorrows cease, when mourning turns into dancing, when we joyfully sit at table with other believers at the wedding feast of the Lamb.
God in the Mist. Many times we groan and sigh and lament because the Lord seems so distant from us in our difficulties, or that He appears to be working against us instead of for us. It’s easy for us to feel rejected when in the midst of suffering. It’s okay to call out to God when He is not clearly present, when we can’t see Him operate, when He is silent. Here are some honest questions in Scripture from a faithful believer, when the Bird in the mist seems to disappear. Notice the questioner knows where to go with his questions, he knows Who to ask. He names Him, he assumes His presence, His open ear. These are good questions to ask when the Dove is sight unseen and we groan.
1. “How long, Yahweh, will you forget me? Forever? How long will you turn away your face from me? How long must I nurse rebellion in my soul, sorrow in my heart day and night? How long is the enemy to domineer over me? Look down, answer me, Yahweh my God! Give light to my eyes or I shall fall into the sleep of death.” (Psalm 13:1-3)
2. “Why, Yahweh, do you keep so distant, so hidden in times of trouble… Rise, Yahweh! God, raise your hand, do not forget the afflicted.” (Psalm 10:1,12)
3. “Heal me, Yahweh, my bones are shaken, my spirit is shaken to its very depths. But you, Yahweh… how long? Yahweh, relent and save my life, rescue me because of your faithful love, for in death there is no remembrance of you; who could sing your praises in Sheol?” (Psalm 6:3-5)
4. “How much longer, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their onslaughts, from young lions rescue the one life that I have… You saw it, Yahweh, do not stay silent; Lord, do not stand aloof from me. Up, awake to my defense, my God and my Lord, to my cause.” (Psalm 35:17, 22, 23)
5. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The words of my groaning do nothing to save me. My God, I call by day but you do not answer, at night, but I find no respite.” (Psalm 22:1-2)
6. “Wake, Lord! Why are you asleep? Awake! Do not abandon us for good. Why do you turn your face away, forgetting that we are poor and harassed? For we are bowed down to the dust, and lie prone on the ground. Arise! Come to our help! Ransom us, as your faithful love demands.” (Psalm 44:23-26)
7. “I shall wear myself out for your salvation, for your word is my hope. My eyes, too, are worn out waiting for your promise; when will you have pity on me? For I am like a smoked wineskin, but I do not forget your will. How long has your servant to live?” (Psalm 119:82-84)
8. “God, why have you finally rejected us, your anger blazing against the flock you used to pasture? Remember the people you took to yourself long ago, your own tribe which you redeemed… Arise, God, champion your own cause.” (Psalm 74:1-2, 22)
9. “I will go forward in the path of the blameless; when will you come to me?” (Psalm 101:2)
10. “Through the night I ponder in my heart, as I reflect, my spirit asks this question: Is the Lord’s rejection final? Will he never show favor again? Is his faithful love gone forever? Has His Word come to an end for all time? Does God forget to show mercy? In anger does he shut off his tenderness?” (Psalm 77:6-9)
11. ” But, for my part, I cry to you, Yahweh, every morning my prayer comes before you; why, Yahweh, do you rebuff me, turn your face away from me?” (Psalm 88:13-14)
12. “Bring us back, God our Savior, appease your indignation against us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your wrath age after age? Will you not give us life again, for your people to rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:4-6)
(All Scripture references are from the New Jerusalem Bible).