Life is crushing in all around you. You are crying out with the Psalmist David; “How long, Oh Lord. How long must I wait for an answer, for rescue, for release?” And then, while reading in 2 Corinthians, the words, “light and momentary troubles” (4:17) leap off the page.
You want to scream; “Yeah, Right! How dare someone consider what I am going through as light and momentary? How dare someone treat what I am going through so lightly” The trouble doesn’t feel light and in the present context isn’t momentary.
This isn’t what any of us wants to hear in the midst of trouble and hardship, but what we want to hear and what we need to hear is not always the same thing. The individual writing these words to the church at Corinth is someone who identifies with suffering and difficulties. He does not write these words glibly or easily. These words are given with empathy and understanding. These words flow out of experience. They are written with a heart that knows brokenness.
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit these words are written with purpose. They are tucked in the middle of words of encouragement calling God’s people to hold on and have an eternal perspective. This perspective does not do away with the difficulty or the pain. Rather it gives hope and renewal in the midst of it.
When things are seen in the eternal perspective we recognize that everything is being used by God to accomplish His purpose in and through our lives; “For we know that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us a glory that outweighs them all.” We must resist the temptation to get caught up and stalled in the questioning period; the “why Lord” and “is God allowing or causing?” and move into the wondrous reality that for those us in Christ, God is indeed using all things to accomplish His good (Romans 8:28).
Nothing in the believer’s life is senseless or meaningless. Our confidence lies in the reality that when God does not seem to be at work; when He seems silent and removed, He is indeed at work and present with us.
Yes, we don’t want to hear it, but we need to hear it. When placed in the context of eternity and the eternal purposes of God our troubles are - no matter how great or painful or overwhelming they are - light and momentary. And we rejoice in the midst of them for we have the confidence that God is using it all to achieve His glorious good.
Take heart beloved. Your light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
-gerals whetstone
No comments:
Post a Comment