I consider our present sufferings insignificant compared to the glory that will soon be revealed to us. All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are. Creation was subjected to frustration but not by its own choice.
The one who subjected it to frustration did so in the hope that it would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom that the children of God will have. We know that all creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.
However, not only creation groans. We, who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts, also groan inwardly. We groan as we eagerly wait for our adoption, the freeing of our bodies ⌊from sin⌋.
We were saved with this hope in mind. If we hope for something we already see, it’s not really hope. Who hopes for what can be seen? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:18-25 GW)
No one likes to wait. But waiting is a necessary part of life. When we are young, we wish to be old. When we age, memories occupy more and more of our time.
When we look forward to something, time seems to creep at a snail's pace. Believers look forward to the time we will see Jesus face to face with new indestructible bodies (1 Cor 15:50-54; 1 John 3:2-3).
But it's not just those who've been redeemed and await the Lord Jesus' return who wait, all creation waits too. Even the physical world will experience a restoration when the Lord returns (Rev 21:1). The effect of sin isn't just a personal problem, it's global, even universal. So also is the impact of redemption global and universal.
Until then, we wait. How? We wait with perseverance—a committed patience based on a real hope. Thankfully, this hope lives within every genuine believer, because God's Spirit lives in us. ©Word-Strong_2016