March 1: “Hope of Peace” by Melinda Haynie

Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Many of you fortunate folks have had the opportunity to go on a mission trip adventure with Pastor Brent. While these experiences are amazing and exciting, they are absolutely exhausting. It’s not unusu- al to walk for upwards of ten miles a day...several days in a row. I bring this up because I’m old enough to remember suitcases before they were made with wheels. Can you imagine lugging those suitcases across Europe without wheels? Hold that thought.

Suffering is never enjoyable. By definition, it is the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. But suffering happens - to Christians and non-Christians. I know many of you, like my family, have experi- enced significant heartache and loss. But if we consider our walk in light of Romans 8:18, we understand a little better that suffering has its place. While it makes God sad to see us hurting, He will use every tear and every crisis to our benefit. No hurt will be wasted when our hope is in Him. We have learned through the devastation that God’s peace can and will sustain us, that He promises to walk with us through the fire, not keep us out of the fire and that God’s Word instructs us to give thanks in all things, not for all things. He understands the difficult things on Earth.

He will also use our pain to teach us, to grow us and to reach others in a way that would be impossible without the experience. We will carry that pain with us. It won’t ever go away. It is a part of our story, a part of who we are and who we are becoming. But hope, gives wheels to our suitcase. Hope makes it easier to carry. More importantly, we grieve with the hope of knowing that God sees the whole picture and knows that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”...someday; in His perfect timing.

For now, we live in a pain-riddled world, with loss and grief, and sadness. But we have this hope that the glory that awaits us will be worth every moment.

In this new year, is there a pain you need to reframe? You know it’s not going away, but it’s burdensome. Pray that God will use your suffering for His purpose and His glory, knowing that He will give you the wheels to carry it.

Father, we know that You love us. We know that You see the whole story from beginning to end. Thank You for being our peace and giving us hope. Give us the opportunity to reach people with our story. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.