“For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”
If any of us think we have major problems, we can gain perspective when we read about the troubles that Paul faced. In chapter 6 of this letter, Paul says he and his companions “have been beaten, put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food” (vs. 5). They were also called impostors, treated as unknowns, beaten within an inch of their lives, poor, and heart-aching (vss. 9-10). In chapter 11, Paul lists other trials: whippings, lashings, beatings with rods, a stoning, shipwrecked three times, left out in the elements, robbers, danger from all kinds of people, pain, sleeplessness, hunger and thirst, and lack of clothing—not to mention the burden of how the churches were getting along (vss. 23-28)!
No one I know personally has ever suffered that much. That being said, we have all faced difficult problems at one time or another—and some of you are in the middle of a heartbreaking problem. No matter what kind of problem we may face, today’s verses give perspective and a breath of fresh air.
If you take a moment now and imagine yourself in heaven, in the presence of your Creator and Savior and with other believing loved ones who died before you, in a perfectly beautiful and holy place prepared just for you with no pain, tears, or sorrows…how does your current list of problems impact that scene?
Your problems just don’t exist there!
As comforting as these verses are, a warning casts a shadow on them from my point of view. This is not a promise for unbelievers. Only believers in the one true God will experience the joys of heaven and the relief from all their troubles. If we look at just a few verses before in 13-15, it’s clear that Paul is writing specifically to those who believe in Jesus as their personal Savior.
So, ask yourself…can you gain comfort from today’s verses because your salvation is secure based on your belief in Jesus Christ?
Copyright 2009
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