Won’t it be Wonderful?
by Brandy Webb
Won’t it be wonderful when pain and suffering are no more? When tears of sadness are extinct? When fear ceases and God’s Kingdom rules? Unfortunately, a lot has to happen before this great and glorious time, but we must not give up on hope. Life without hope is meaningless. Without hope we cannot have faith because faith is the “substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1).
I know that right now it is not always joyful. I know that someone right now is suffering. In fact, I doubt there is a second in the day without someone suffering. I also know that there are a lot of people that choose not to believe in God and Jesus because of the sufferings in this world. They don’t understand how a loving God allows bad things to happen. They do not realize that Satan is the ruler of this world right now and he is going around seeking those he can tempt and devour. It doesn’t mean that God can’t intervene, but it does mean that God allows humans to have free will. This is why Peter tells us that we need to choose to humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt [us] in due time, casting all [our] worries on Him” because He cares about us (1Peter 5:6-7). We need to choose to be self-controlled and watchful so that we can withstand the Devil with our faith, because we know that we are not alone in our sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-9). We have to choose the light and not the dark. It is our choice because God gave us free will.
The majority of the world throughout time rejected the light because “men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God” (John 3:19-21). As long as people choose to turn away from the light they become easy targets of the temptations of sin and darkness.
When we accepted Jesus as our Savior we exposed our sins to the light. This step isn’t easy to do. It takes a lot of humility and acceptance that we are not the ones in control. It means to accept that God’s laws are the right laws. It means to battle our carnal flesh and try following His standards of living because they are true, pure, and moral. It also requires us to strive to live lives that don’t give in to fear because He didn’t give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). It also means that we are to be kind and loving regardless if others treat us the same way. It also requires us to forgive and let go, to be patient with others, and to realize that we are not saved by anything of our own doing.
Thankfully, Jesus is patient and kind. He is able to lift us up when we stumble, build us up when we fall apart, carry us when life is just too hard, and forgive us when we make mistakes. It isn’t easy living in a world full of pain and suffering, but it does make it easier to get through when you know and believe that this isn’t all there is. We have a hope of a future where all sufferings will cease to exist, and we will live eternally with Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Won’t it be wonderful?