Scripture For Today
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. - Romans 8:18 NIV
There are moments in life when pain settles in like an unwelcome visitor. It comes quietly and sometimes suddenly. It can arrive through loss, disappointment, betrayal, or seasons of waiting that feel unending. When suffering stretches longer than you expected, it can weigh on your chest and whisper lies that nothing will ever change.
Paul understood this well. The man who wrote Romans 8:18 was no stranger to hardship. He had seen prisons from the inside. He had survived shipwrecks. He had been beaten, stoned, chased out of cities, and misunderstood by many. Yet in all of this, he still held on to a truth that carried him forward.
Our present suffering is real, but it is not final. It may feel powerful and overwhelming, but it is temporary. It has a limit. It has an expiration date. And compared to the glory that God has promised, it cannot hold a candle to what is coming.
Paul did not deny the reality of suffering, and you do not have to either. God never asks you to pretend that pain does not exist. What He does ask is that you lift your eyes above the pain long enough to see Him standing with you. Because the moment you see Him, everything shifts.
Romans 8 is one of the most comforting chapters in Scripture because it reminds you of the God who walks with you through everything. Paul begins the chapter declaring that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Later, he reminds believers that the Spirit helps in our weakness. At the end of the chapter, he proclaims that nothing can separate you from the love of God.
In the middle of all this, he anchors your heart with a promise. Your suffering is not the end of your story. God is shaping something beautiful within you. Something eternal. Something weighty with glory. Something that will outshine every difficult season you have walked through.
Suffering often reveals who you are becoming. It strengthens your resolve. It presses your roots deeper into the truth of God’s character. It shapes your faith and sharpens your vision. And though it never feels comfortable, it carries a holy purpose. God never wastes pain. He redeems it. He rebuilds from it. He restores through it.
Sometimes suffering is the ground where transformation grows. You learn patience there. You learn resilience there. You learn dependence on God there. And in the quiet spaces of that struggle, the Spirit of God is working, shaping you from the inside out.
There will be days when you feel tired and worn. Days when you wonder how long you must endure. Days when the weight of your circumstances feels heavier than your faith. And still, God whispers the same promise that sustained Paul through every hardship.
Hold on. What is coming is far greater than what you are facing right now.
Glory is not only what you will experience in eternity. Glory is also what God reveals in you as you endure with Him. It is the evidence of His hand on your life. It is the strength He gives you to keep standing. It is the wisdom that grows in your spirit through trial. It is the compassion that deepens as you learn to comfort others.
None of these things happen in comfort. They are born in the pressing. They take shape in seasons when your faith has to stretch beyond the immediate.
And when the day comes when God lifts the veil and you see the fullness of what He has been forming in you, every tear, every struggle, and every difficult season will seem small in comparison.
For now, you hold on to His promise. You cling to His presence. You trust that He is doing something in the unseen that will one day be revealed in glory.
Three Practical Ways To Walk Out This Word Daily
1: Speak God’s Promise Over Your Pain
Whenever suffering feels overwhelming, speak Romans 8:18 aloud. Remind your spirit that your present circumstances do not define your future. Isaiah 40:31 promises that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Speaking the word settles your heart and realigns your mind with truth. Use your voice to shift the atmosphere around you.
2: Look for God’s Presence in the Process
Ask God daily to show you how He is working in your current situation. Even small glimpses of His hand can strengthen your faith. Jeremiah 29:13 says that when you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him. Keep your eyes open for the subtle ways He comforts, guides, and supports you. These reminders help you endure with hope.
3: Encourage Someone Who Is Also Struggling
One of the fastest ways to experience strength is to give it away. When you encourage another person, you participate in the comfort that God gives freely. Second Corinthians 1:4 says that God comforts us so we can comfort others. Your words may become the reminder someone desperately needs. And in lifting another, your own spirit is lifted.
Closing Encouragement
Even in seasons of suffering, God is writing a story filled with redemption and purpose. The weight of what you feel today cannot compare to the weight of glory that is forming in you. Hold on to the God who never leaves you, who strengthens you, and who promises that brighter days are coming. You are not walking through this alone. Your pain has purpose, and your future holds glory that will outshine every shadow. Keep trusting. Keep hoping. God is not finished with your story.