Ewald Schmidt

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”  Romans 8:18-19

Life is not always easy for God’s children. We are not exempt from the hurt and suffering of this world. Jesus has prepared his disciples for a life of self-sacrifice: they will have to pick up their own crosses to follow him (Matthew 16:24-25). Because we love and follow Jesus, we should expect trials and tribulations along the way. Jesus said the world would hate his followers as they have hated him, and a slave is not above his master (John 15: 20). Every child of God experiences suffering in his or her life. The struggle we are going through is to remain faithful, and to endure hardship while being loyal followers of Christ. The first readers of Paul’s letter to Rome had difficult lives in those days. The emperor of the Roman Empire has already begun to persecute the Christians, who would not bow their knees and worship him as a god. Roman citizens were forbidden to trade with Christians, they even had a hard time buying a loaf of bread. Some were martyred through crucifixion or being fed to the lions in the circus. They could not see any difference between their experience of life as a believer, and the experience of the non-believer. Their experience of life felt much worse than the typical Roman citizen of their day.

Paul gives us this promise, that the present sufferings are much less than the glory that will be revealed in us. God is busy preparing the future for his children, an eternity of glory with him. Paul has described it thus in 2 Corinthians 4: 17, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Today may be hard, but today is not the end of the road. The future is in God’s hands. And our future will be good for evermore when God reveals to all who his children are.  He is preparing us for eternal glory.

Prayer: Lord, it is so hard to walk the way of faith in this world. We are not being spared the suffering and brokenness that all people experience. But thank you that we are never alone on this difficult path. Thank you for the promise that the future will be filled with glory, while suffering and brokenness shall pass away. Help us to endure, keeping the faith when our journey gets challenging to us. Help us to abide in you, trusting you, following where you lead us. Amen.