Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering: Hope in Glory

 

For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.  Romans 8:18

 Suffering is real and difficult. Living in the midst of it can be overwhelming. How do we make it through? How do we hold on in the hardship and persevere in the challenges? Hope. Hope is the only thing that can outshine the darkness, that can make things worth it, even when they don’t make sense in the moment. So, what do we put our hope in? Getting better? Our situation improving? What if those things don’t come to pass in this life? Was our hope in vain? I think it is so important that we are careful about what we place our hope in.

 The Bible has a lot to say about hope. Here are a few verses that stand out to me this morning:

Isaiah 40:31 - But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Micah 7:7 - But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 When we place our hope in God, we can be sure of its fulfillment. It is not a hope for a special Christmas gift or a hope that your stocks go up, it’s a sure-thing hope. God is rock-solid and absolute. He will never let us down. When we hope for God’s will to be done, for Him to be glorified, we can know that it will come to pass.

 Let me ask you, if you were presented with an opportunity to give up all your life savings, knowing you would have to live on a meager pittance for a period of time, with the assurance that you would be given millions of dollars in the future, would you do it? Our promise in Jesus is even better than this! When weighed against the troubles of this world, God’s glory makes them look like nothing. It’s a done deal, a sure thing. We can look on our troubles, even those that seem so big in our own eyes, and know that they will be like chaff, blown away in the wind when we come into God’s presence and experience all that He is.

 Childbirth is terrible and difficult, as decreed in the garden (Genesis 3:16), but once it is over and you hold the joyful fruit of your labor, your sweet baby, the suffering begins to fade. In fact, for many people, it fades so quickly that they are willing to do it again and again! And it is like this with all our suffering. If the joy of holding our newborn can fade the pain of childbirth, imagine the joy of witnessing all that God is and all that He has done. The wonder! The amazement!

Here’s the Thing: I’m not trying to belittle or underplay today’s suffering. I know from personal experience that it is very real and present and difficult. What I want to do is give you hope. Hope to endure. Hope to see that it will all be worth it in the end. Hope in God’s glory. Imagine!

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