Yesterday was the funeral of a member of our church, a lady who had known considerable suffering through both physical and mental illness in her life. At such times, it is easy to ask questions about suffering and to feel both helpless and powerless. Ever since Adam and Eve first disobeyed God’s command and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there has been toil and suffering and pain and sorrow mingled with the hope and joy which God brings. We look ahead to a time when there is no more suffering, pain, shame or trouble, but while we are on earth, it seems that suffering and glory are almost two sides of the same coin.
Paul reminded the Philippians that knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection went hand in hand with participating in His sufferings (see Phil 3:8-11.) We are keen to know the power and glory of God, but draw back from suffering. Nonetheless, God has chosen to reveal the treasure of His light and life in ‘jars of clay’ (see 2 Cor 4:6-7), and suffering is not to be seen as punishment from God or something that can always be avoided. In that same passage, Paul goes on to say that all we suffer now are as ‘light and momentary troubles’ compared to the ‘eternal glory that far outweighs them all.’ (2 Cor 4:16-18) We need this perspective when we suffer what can seem to us to be interminable problems, for God is shaping for us a glory that makes everything else pale into insignificance. Paul wrote ‘ 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.‘ (Rom 8:18-19) Our hearts can’t quite fathom what this means, but we know what it is to wait in eager expectation!