This Suffering Is Temporary

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

(Romans 8:18)

I don’t know about you, but I am at the age when my body has aches and pains every day. Some of it comes from old injuries or a brief illness but mostly is just from getting old. It’s hard to sleep with pain so I feel tired much of the time. It’s not just physical pain that I weary of, it’s emotional pain too. It’s painful when I get hurt by someone close that I trust. That kind of pain is worse than the former because only time will heal those wounds. There’s no physical therapy to heal from emotional scars.

I have been deeply distressed by the sudden deaths of close family and friends. It’s hard enough to lose them when they’re saved but it’s especially hard when they pass without knowing Jesus. It’s distressing when I know I didn’t do enough to bring them to Christ. I always feel compelled to share Jesus with others, but I usually don’t because I’m afraid of rejection. It’s basically the only task I’ve been given by God while I’m here but I’m guilty of failing all the time.

At times I am disappointed by the outcome of something important to me. Right now, this country is in a downward spiral that, without turning to God, is only going to end with its destruction. With the last election, I am prayerful of a result that will begin to turn this country around. For the first time in a long time, I’m not disillusioned with the outcome. We are admonished to pray for our leaders, and there is no scriptural prohibition for involvement in our governments. The thing to remember is we are only temporary residents of this nation and this world. Heaven is our home and we yearn to go there.

Through all that physical and emotional suffering shines the bright light of hope from Christ Jesus. He prepares a place for us in glory and the magnificence of what’s to come can only be revealed to us then. This life is hard and depressing much of the time but we’re only here for a short time when compared to eternity. So, whenever I’m crestfallen about something, I lift my thoughts to that hope of glory. I realize there’s no comparison between this life with what’s to come in eternity. Hallelujah!

Father God, you are acquainted with our sufferings. Your Son hung on the cross to pay the price for our sins. Because we are so very fragile, we suffer from many things, both physical and emotional. Our physical sufferings are usually short lived, requiring time and effort on our part to get over. Our emotional sufferings are usually longer lived because we internalize everything. Every time we’re reminded of the cause for our emotional pain, it’s like we’re wounded anew, and we start over. Our mission for the relatively short time we’re alive on this world, is to share the gospel and make new disciples. However, we face rejection from many people we encounter when we share our faith in you. In many parts of the world, believers face extreme physical abuse, even death for sharing their faith. Remind us, Lord, that the things we suffer now are only temporary. We will soon be shown a glory we cannot comprehend this side of eternity. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!