Here are a couple takeaways from these verses that we can cling to as absolute truths to find hope in hard times.
1. Trials do come
I know this should be an obvious point, but somehow we still get surprised and blindsided by this fact. Paul says that “our outer self is wasting away.” Of course, he is specifically referencing the fact that our bodies will become older and eventually we will physically die, but the larger reality here is that trials are promised to us all throughout the Scriptures. Maybe no more clearly than in Jesus’ words “…In the world you will have tribulation…” (John 16:33).
The fact that we experience trials actually is evidence that the words of Jesus prove true. We must recognize this reality so that our faith is not shaken when trials do come. He promised that they would, but more than that, He has promised us hope in the midst of our trials which is where our focus moves next.
2. God is always at work
We used to sing a song as kids that went like this: “He’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon, and the stars, the sun, and the earth, and jupiter, and mars. How loving and patient He must be. He’s still working one me.” When a trial hits, life seems to come to a stand-still. It’s like nothing else matters in that moment and the only thing we are focused on is the trial before us.
God, even in the midst of our trials, is focused on making us more like Christ. In fact, one of the reasons He often allows trials to come our way is because He is trying to accomplish a specific work in us. Paul says “our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Our bodies continually age and break down, but our souls are constantly being renewed, sanctified, and purified to prepare us for the return of Christ.
Understandably, we want God to shift His entire focus to delivering us from the trial at hand, when His main concern is not always to deliver us from the trial, but rather to renew us and transform us through the trial. Which brings us to our next point.
3. Your trials work for you
Have you ever thought about that before? That your trials are not an obstacle to your faith, but a tool to grow you in your faith and to prepare for you eternal rewards. That’s exactly what Paul says in this passage - “…this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” God is actually taking your trials and forcing them to work for you, producing an eternal weight of glory that will far outweigh anything you could possibly experience in this life.
This means that not a single heartbreak you experience is meaningless - it’s doing something for you. And it may not be something you’re able to see right now, but as sure as the trial is real, the reward awaiting you is real too! You are not a slave to the events of this life, you are a child of the King who is working all things together for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
4. Our perspective matters
You won’t be able to find hope in these truths if you are focused on temporal, earthly things. Your mind and heart must be aimed at eternity in order to walk through trials with this kind of eternal hope. In other words, if your main concern is the trial itself and how you will escape it, your focus is temporal and you won’t be able to see the eternal hope being offered to you.
Paul says we can have this kind of hope “as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” Of course you can’t always see what God is doing - His ways are higher and better than yours (Isaiah 55:9). You must look beyond the trial to the eternal hope of Christ. You have to look beyond the pain to the work that Christ is accomplishing in and through you.
None of this means that we ignore our trials, refuse to grieve, or pretend it’s not all that bad. It means that we look to our trials with a sober-mindedness that allows us to grieve but not as those who are without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Conclusion
How do we shift our mindset to believing these things when life hits us hardest though? It’s one thing to know these things to be true, but it’s another thing altogether to actually cling to these promises as true when you feel like you can’t even get out of bed in the morning. A few thoughts:
First, pray for the Lord to give you eyes to see and a heart to believe these things, even when you want to believe everything but these truths. Pray like the father who brought his son to Jesus “Lord i believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
Next, make sure you are surrounded by Christian brothers and sisters who will grieve with you, and then help you get back up and move forward with what is true. You don’t want friends who are quoting Scripture as a magic potion to make you feel better overnight, but those who will get in the ditch with you, weep with you, and then gently and faithfully remind you of what is true.
Maybe the final thing I would say is that we have to remember this is a lifelong process. There will be times when you do this well, and other times when you give in to the temptation to wallow in despair. The good news is that Jesus is patient with us, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. His mercies are new every morning and He will never leave us, even when we are unfaithful to Him. If you’ve not been placing your hope in Him, confess that - He will forgive. Then wake up the next day with the intent of living in the new mercies He provides.
