Can we wait patiently for that future glory?

Today we are reading from Romans 8:18-30.

This morning on facebook I read about a young lady who is going through a hard time medically speaking, and today (or I suppose rather yesterday) it was an emotionally tough one.  One of the commenters mentioned that surgery scars are a sign of a battle fought and shouldn't be seen as ugly but as a sign of victory.  Mourn the need of them us, but truly see them as they are.  With that in mind.. when I read the first verse of this section it makes sense you know?


  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 
The suffering, the mourning for now is temporary.  Look what faces us in the future?  A future glory awaits!!
 
 ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Can you see how ALL of creation is waiting for this new future?  The groaning and complaining and the mourning that we all do.  We have a future hope!  One day we will be set free from this world plagued by sin.   One day, one day there will be a complete victory over sin, and until then, until then we'll have the battle scars to prove the battle we are in until we attain that future glory.

  ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Now mind this.   We CANNOT SEE IT yet.  It's not hope if it's already here.  We can catch glimpses of it.. but until it is actually here we only have that hope that we cling to with patience (and admittedly at times with not so much patience).

Sometimes I see what sin does in the world and I just want it gone.  A friend's child dealing with anxiety, a friend in hospital with cancer, another friend's daughter suffering with medical stuff, teens falling into sinful behaviour of wanton destruction of other people's property, cops in hospital, fires in British Columbia and so much more, sometimes I just want it to end, to see that hope that awaits us when sin can no longer affect the world we live in.   Won't that be a good thing???
  
²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
 This is a passage I have to admit I don't always really understand at a heart/spirit level.  I understand that the Holy Spirit helps me pray when I just don't have the words, and that he truly knows my heart and mind as he intercedes on my behalf with God the Father.  I get that intellectually.  I just struggle with it I guess.  I never had an issue that has me groaning under the weight of it I suppose.  But maybe, I don't know, maybe when I am weighed down with the cares of others, maybe that weight is what the Spirit takes before the Lord when I just don't know what to do or think?   Or maybe when I get frustrated with myself because I know that I love God but so often I feel like I am deluding myself and everyone else and then the Spirit calls out to God for me because I just don't have it in me to face that continual fear.  And so the Spirit then calls out to the Lord for me and I find myself reassured again in ways I don't always anticipate. I don't know....
 
  ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
My sweetheart says often that this verse (28) is often misunderstood and misused.  That people fail to see the "for those who are called according to his purpose".   They just see "God works all things for good".  They sometimes fail to see the WORK TOGETHER part as well.  It's a whole package deal you know?  God calls a people who love him together.  A people that he foreknows.  A people that he is conforming to the image of his Son.  An adopted people into his family, those people, those that he predestined, called, justified and glorified.  THIS people God will works all things TOGETHER for good. 
 
 And in this knowing... we wait!  We wait for that future glory, the hope that rests inside of all who believe, knowing something better is coming. Can you wait for that hope?
 
  What say you? 

To follow along with the rest of this devotional series in Romans Click Here. 

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