Resurrection (Part 3): Our Light and Momentary Sufferings

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Suffering.

From the news reports of people around the world who are going without food to the phone call that informs us that a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, we are constantly faced with the reality of pain and suffering. It can be almost overwhelming, and for some of us, we just cannot face it.

When I think of suffering in my observations and experiences, those are moments I would rather not recall. Suffering, in my view, looks like my Grammy, slipping away in the ICU while the family gathers around to say their goodbyes. It looks like my family being torn apart at the seams in the midst of depression, anger, and feelings of failure in the wake of leaving our first place of pastoral ministry. It looks like the advanced stages of cancer, raging inside my aunt’s body, completing its destructive mission of death. These are the images that come to mind now, as I sit here writing, knowing that just this morning, my family members gathered to celebrate the life of my aunt, and to grieve for what could not be.

In this series on 2 Corinthians 4, I have looked at the power of the Resurrection in the life-giving Word of God, which has the power to bring dead, dry bones to life. I also wrote about how even in the midst of suffering and persecution, God has not forsaken us, but uses those difficulties to display the power of the Resurrection in giving us the strength to endure. Now, in continuing along with the thought process of Paul, I would like to focus on the ultimate hope that we have, and for which we are waiting.

In verses 13-14, Paul talks about how he and his fellow ministers have assurance that the same God who raised Christ from the dead has the power to raise all who believe. In the context of the passage, it is because of this hope that they continue to speak the Truth, even in the midst of persecution. But that is not all, as in verse 15, Paul says “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (ESV). As I mentioned in my previous post, persecution has the incredible, albeit unintentional, effect of spreading the Gospel and growing the Church. Here, Paul is saying that it is worth the trouble to continue sharing the Truth because as more people hear and respond to the Truth, it is glorifying to God, through whom it is all possible.

Verse 16 continues, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Going back to my opening statements about suffering, this verse reminds me of the frailty of our bodies, which wastes away over time. Death, at least in the physical sense, is inevitable. But, even in the midst of the trials of this life, God works on our souls, bringing them to life and restoring them in preparation for eternity with Him. Next, the passage says, “For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (NET).

Paul reminds us that while what we see is suffering – sickness, pain, and death; these things are temporary, only lasting for a moment in comparison with eternity. And eternity, according to Paul, will far outweigh the sufferings of the present. What a great hope we have that our sufferings have purpose as God uses them to shape us into the men and women He desires for us to be, but also that they will not last forever!

This, my friends, is the power of the Resurrection. It is God’s power which enables us to endure great suffering and to keep getting back up when we are beaten down, and it is that same power that has given us hope for the future. As one hymn states, God’s power and faithful presence give us “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” Let’s rest in the reality that the troubles of this life will someday come to an end, and look forward to the glories of being in the presence of the Lord throughout eternity.

“My heart can sing when I pause to remember
A heartache here is but a stepping stone
Along a trail that's winding always upward,
This troubled world is not my final home.

But until then my heart will go on singing,
Until then with joy I'll carry on,
Until the day my eyes behold the city,
Until the day God calls me home.

The things of earth will dim and lose their value
If we recall they're borrowed for awhile;
And things of earth that cause the heart to tremble,
Remembered there will only bring a smile.

This weary world with all its toil and struggle
May take its toll of misery and strife;
The soul of man is like a waiting falcon;
When it's released, it's destined for the skies.”

~ Until Then by Stuart Hamblen (Public Domain)

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