Suffering is Not Pointless

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 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. 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.

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. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,8 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. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

We are fully aware that in life it is not a question of whether we will walk through suffering, but rather how we might understand it when it happens. Suffering is not meaningless, nor is it accidental. We can, however, move from the weight of the present struggle to the promise of God’s eternal purposes. We do not want to dismiss the struggle, but rather recalibrate our perspective and lean into interpreting the pain through the lens of God’s sovereignty. John Piper once said, “God is always doing ten thousand things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” Although we have limited understanding, His strength meets us right there and allows us to move forward through the current situation, holding onto His goodness.

We see throughout this passage that suffering is not only personal, but there is also a divine and cosmic perspective. Romans 8:20 reminds us that pain is not evidence that God has lost control, but it is proof that the world is not yet as God intends it to be. “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope.” Creation itself is subject to the curse of the fall, but we are reminded that the groaning of the world is not pointless. It is a hope that something better is yet to come. We can find strength in the suffering, knowing that the story is not over yet.

Not only does creation groan, but we see in verses 23–25 that we groan, too. Our groaning is a little different in the sense that although we already belong to Christ, we long for the fullness of our redemption. We long for the glorification of our lives. It is a longing filled with confident expectation rooted in His promises. “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” We learn to walk in strength when we wait on Him rather than demand immediate relief. This is an area I struggle with often. I long for immediacy. I desire and want an answer, and I want it on my time. I am still learning, and I am leaning into Him and reminding myself that, “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out,” as Piper reminds us.

So we hold fast to verse 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.” There is an encouragement here, knowing that the Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will. There is more than a call to endurance here; there is an understanding of how He supplies divine help. The Spirit aligns our weakness with the Father’s will through the finished work of Christ.

As this portion of Scripture comes to a close, we are reminded that God works all things together for good. This means things like suffering, persecution, and weakness are not excluded. I am hopeful to trust God’s promises rather than my preferences. I do not necessarily want to walk through things like suffering, persecution, or weakness, but I do want to lean into Him in the midst of it all. We are reminded in verses 29–30: “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. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Our comfort is not necessarily important, but our conformity to Christ is. Our suffering is shaping us for His glory, not destroying us. Suffering does not have the final word. God does! So when we suffer, let's be reminded that the Spirit will strengthen us in our weakness. His sovereignty will assure us that nothing is wasted, and His promises guarantee us that His glory is certain. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

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