Finding Hope in Suffering: Why Our Present Pain Doesn't Compare to Future Glory

In a world filled with suffering, wars, natural disasters, and personal tragedies, it's easy to question where God is in all of this. How can we maintain joy and hope when everything around us seems broken? The answer lies in understanding the bigger picture of God's redemptive plan.

Why Can Some People Remain Joyful Despite Suffering?

The Apostle Paul provides a powerful perspective in Romans 8:18: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

This statement is particularly striking because Paul wasn't speaking from a position of comfort. This was a man who had been:

• Beaten nearly to death multiple times

• Shipwrecked

• Imprisoned

• Gone hungry

Yet despite experiencing extreme suffering, Paul maintained that our current struggles pale in comparison to the glory awaiting believers.

What Will Heaven Actually Be Like?

To understand why Paul could make such a bold claim, we need to look at what the Bible reveals about our future glory. Revelation 7:9-12 gives us a glimpse:

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

This picture reveals believers from throughout history gathered around God's throne in perfect worship. Despite our sinful nature and all the times we've turned away from God, we will stand before Him, completely forgiven and restored.

Why Is Creation Suffering?

Paul explains that it's not just humans who suffer - all of creation is groaning:

"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21)

How Did Creation Become Broken?

This brokenness traces back to Genesis 3, when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve's disobedience. God's response included:

"Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you..." (Genesis 3:17-18)

The evidence of this curse surrounds us:

• Natural disasters

• Species extinction

• The difficulty of cultivating the earth

• Wars between nations

• Crime and human trafficking

All these things point to a world that isn't functioning as originally designed. They reveal humanity's broken relationship with God and our misplaced search for security and significance.

Why Do Believers Still Struggle?

Paul continues in Romans 8:23: "And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

Believers experience what theologians call the "already but not yet" tension. We've already been justified by Christ's blood, but we haven't yet experienced the fullness of God's kingdom.

This explains why even committed Christians often feel:

• A persistent dissatisfaction with life

• A longing for something more

• Difficulty feeling settled

These feelings aren't signs of spiritual failure - they're evidence that we've tasted heaven through the Holy Spirit but haven't yet experienced it fully. Like smelling a delicious meal cooking but not yet being able to eat it, we've received the "firstfruits" of what's to come.

How Should We Understand Hope?

Paul explains that "hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Romans 8:24-25)

True biblical hope isn't wishful thinking - it's confident expectation based on God's promises. This hope:

• Requires faith in what we cannot yet see

• Calls us to build our lives around a future reality

• Demands patience and steadfastness

As Oswald Chambers put it: "Faith is not believing in spite of evidence. Faith is obeying in spite of consequences."

Life Application

The central truth we must grasp is that "the hope of eternity comforts and provides perspective within the struggle of the present."

Here's how to apply this truth to your life:

• Develop a right view of suffering: When you see brokenness in the world, recognize it not as evidence of God's absence but as confirmation of sin's reality and the need for Christ's return.

• Identify false hopes: When you see suffering in yourself or others, ask: "What false hope is being placed in something other than Jesus?" Remember that security and significance can only truly be found in Christ.

• Embrace the groaning: Don't try to escape your longing for something more - it's evidence that your soul was made for eternity with God.

• Stay active in your waiting: Like a soldier completing his duties while longing for home, fulfill your purpose of glorifying God while you wait for Christ's return.

• Put all your hope in Jesus: Don't diversify your hope portfolio. Place everything on Christ, knowing that "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Questions to Consider:

• Where have I been placing my hope for security and significance other than in Christ?

• How might my current suffering be sharpening my longing for eternity?

• In what ways am I actively serving God while I wait for Christ's return?

• Can I honestly say I believe future glory outweighs present suffering? If not, what's holding me back?

Remember, our hope has a name - Jesus Christ. He suffered willingly for us so that we might experience eternal glory with Him. Whatever brokenness you see in the world or feel in your heart, know that it's not supposed to be this way, and one day, through Christ, it won't be.