Words of Hope Daily Devotional

Suffering and Glory

Read: Romans 8:18-28

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (v. 18 NIV)

My son was born via unexpected cesarean, and as a result, my daughter was born the same way. I spent most of my daughter’s pregnancy in fear of facing that surgery, that I’d never feel joy in her birth. I just couldn’t see beauty through the cloud of suffering I faced anticipating the pain, even if it was pain for a purpose.

God balances life with pain and pleasure. When the pain of earth is put on the scales and the pleasure of eternity put on the other side, Romans 8:18 says the blessings to come will far outweigh the burdens of the present. This verse is an acknowledgement that, as good as life in the Spirit can be, it’s not the finished product. We’re still not at the point in which we get to see “the glory that will be revealed in us” (v. 18 NIV). That glory still lies in our future. And what’s more, there’s going to be suffering now, just like Jesus suffered before he shared in the glory of God.

God is preparing something big: a complete restoration of the whole of creation. This verse links together two things that we probably wouldn’t put together: sufferings and glory, hurts and hallelujahs. As good as life in the Spirit is, we’ll still experience suffering here on earth. But the true labor of our suffering brings us to the joy of the glory of God.

As you pray, thank God for the glorious restoration he promises for all of creation, including you.

Ariana D. Den Bleyker

Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is the author of two devotional poetry collections,To Be Held by the LightandWaking in the Light. She is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America.