SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE
Romans 8:18 (ESV) Looking for good Bible verses to reflect on, or wondering why the Bible matters for your everyday life? Check out our verse reflection below. It’s one of our simple devotions, great for getting started reading the Bible, and hearing how Scripture is making an impact in the lives of other believers!
God Is With Us in Our Suffering
Many of us wonder, “Why does God allow pain and suffering in the world?”? But what if instead of only questioning its purpose, we also focused on walking through suffering (in all forms) by acknowledging our needs, trusting God’s provision, and keeping in mind that God is with us in our suffering?
Check out Ashley’s thoughts on suffering in this short devotional!
Scripture: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV).
Written by Ashley Ashcraft
Half of a family gone in an instant, in a car accident. When I heard the news of our family friends, I could hardly stomach it. Why had this happened? How do I process grief like this?
Paul writes in Romans 8:18 ESV from his jail cell: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” That was all I had to hang on to—the hope that as tragic as this was, there was something more and better and greater coming.
Wherever our heartache and pain originate, they point us to something greater than ourselves. Our suffering is a marker to our hearts that “something is not as it should be.” We were made to live eternally. We were made to live fully and freely.
And so as we live in the midst of a world where things are broken, cut short, or stuck in bondage, we learn to recognize that God doesn’t waste anything—that this momentary affliction is birthing something greater, more joyous, and more lasting. This is what Paul speaks of from his jail cell in Romans 8. Something greater is coming. Let’s allow our suffering to orient our hearts towards hoping for that.
Why It Matters
If you’re suffering to any degree, it’s painful. Don’t dismiss or invalidate it. Instead, reflect on how your grief or pain is an instrument that increases your longing for the things of God. Lean into the hope that God will meet us in suffering and redeem it. Recognize what you need to depend on God for through this and ask him for it—you’re not alone.
We believe that simple devotions like this verse reflection help us to connect with God, so we’ve curated a whole stash of short Christian devotions. Check them out here!