Suffering and Hope.

Be still and know that I am God – when the oceans rise and kingdoms fall, be still and know that I am God.

”Sometimes all may seem like chaos around you, no pattern, no clear way ahead – that is the moment to be still and focus on Me. Remembering that I created all and I am in control of all. Learn to surrender your fear, your pain, your frustration and start trusting in Me and My plan for you, and my ability to carry out that plan. All this is done against the backdrop of My covenantal love, mercy and grace. I am your God and I am for you. So heed the words in the psalm – be still and know that I am God.”

Please read Romans 8:17 – 25. We pick up Paul’s teaching on suffering as the second main reason we may feel separated from the love of God. Last time I showed how Paul emphasized the need to get our thinking right in the face of suffering. To see suffering against the light of the glory which is waiting for us when the suffering is over.

Having dealt with the universality of suffering we return now to look at the importance of this hope I just mentioned. Way back in Ch 5 Paul has already raised this matter which he puts down as if the very purpose of suffering is to strengthen our hope: “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character ; and character hope”

Back to ch 8:22 ff. Against the backdrop of suffering (groaning), we Christians (those who have the first fruits of the Spirit) wait eagerly for the our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But earlier hadn’t he said we are already adopted? So you see the reality is that we are adopted now already but we do not fully experience it. It is only once we die and are finally redeemed that we will fully experience the value of our adoption.

So that is our hope. Our focus is not to be on the here and now, because we are not nearly experiencing the full benefits of our salvation yet. So Paul reminds us that all these benefits are still coming and though we cannot see them they are to be our focus and reality, especially when we are suffering.

And what does that call for? Patience. Suffering is the one area where God is most active in growing our faith and from that perseverance and patience. God is not concerned in our ease but in our growth and this is one area which is most important in making us more Christian. Nevertheless, remember all this is being taught against the very intimate picture of our relationship with God in vv 16,17.

Paul is trying to drive this thought home before he focuses on the next help God gives and that is the help of His Spirit, which we will look at next week. God bless you all till then.