The Sufferings of This Present Time

The Sufferings Of This Present Time

by David J. Stewart

Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

What an encouraging Scripture! No matter how much suffering we may endure in thus life, the Bible says it cannot be compared to the glorified body that awaits us at the Rapture. Philippians 3:21: “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be FASHIONED LIKE UNTO HIS GLORIOUS BODY, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Our vile earthly bodies that ache and grow weak will be completely changed when the Lord returns, and our new body will be like unto the Lord's body. Amen and amen! No more pain! No more suffering of this present time.

Jesus said that this earthly life would be filled with tribulations in John 16:33. 1st John 5:19 tells us that the whole world lieth in wickedness. 2nd Timothy 3:12 tells us that those believers who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution in this life. God told Adam and Eve that they would suffer throughout life in toil, sweat, and sorrow. This is because of the curse of sin upon the human race. Thank God that He made a way out, a plan of redemption for mankind. We are not worthy, but God in His unconditional love has made available to all the gift of eternal life (Romans 5:15; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

Our faith cannot grow unless we suffer and have every reason to throw-in-the-towel and quit. Anyone can serve God and boast of faith when things are going well. But to praise God during agonizing heartache, devastating loss, and aching constant physical pain requires a much greater faith. We either quit or keep going for God with God's help, i.e., God's grace (Hebrews 4:16).

Most people quit and fall by the wayside, living their lives in selfishness and misery without doing anything for God. The best time to serve God is when everything goes wrong, for that is when God's power rests upon us the most, because God gets all the glory when we are weak. God doesn't need our talents, money, nor abilities; God wants our heart and obedience, and He will test our faith by allowing us to suffer unspeakable mental anguish of soul and suffering of body. There is a sweet presence of God that is only found in the pit, the dungeon, and during time of despair.

Some people commit suicide to escape the pain, whether it be pain of body, pain of soul, or both. I have been to the depths of despair, losing everything near and ear to me, on the brink of losing my mind and taking my own life; but God's grace saw me through. Jesus is precious!

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.” —2nd Corinthians 1:3

The Apostle Paul had suffered horrible trials and tribulation while traveling through Asia, so bad in fact that he stated in 2nd Corinthians 1:8, “we despaired even of life.”

In writing of God's sustaining grace concerning the poet William Cowper, Joseph Larson said . . .

“It was William Cowper on his way in a cab to the Thames River to commit suicide, who, when the driver could not find it for the dense fog, returned to his house and thanking God for the fog, wrote:

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps on the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His works in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.”

Trials can make life seem not worth living. Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 1:9, "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead." In other words, Paul says, “We felt as if we were under a death sentence and all hope was gone. But we suffered so that we would stop trusting ourselves and learn to trust God, Who raises the dead.”

God will oftentimes bring a Christian to the point in life where there is no direction to look except up, to where all we have left is our faith. When all you have is God, God is all you need. God brought the Apostle Paul to the point where he even despaired life itself, so that Paul would learn to trust completely in God. END