This valley of suffering leads to a mountain of glory

Early this morning, Elaine Trokis passed from this life to the next. She is now with her Lord and Saviour. Her Heavenly Father. No more pain. No more tears. No more suffering.

Elaine’s passing reminds us that we live in a broken world. A world of sickness. A world of death. A world where the curse touches every life. Touches your body. Touches your family. Touches your hopes. So how do we respond to suffering?

Romans 8 helps us. Romans 8 doesn’t silence our groaning. Romans 8 anchors our hope.

Romans 8:18 says, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. Paul doesn’t pretend suffering isn’t real. He doesn’t explain it away. He names it. He faces it. But then he compares it. Compared to the glory that is coming, your pain—even your deepest pain—will fade. Not because it isn’t real, but because His glory is more real still.

And how do we know? Because God has given us His Spirit. We ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). The Spirit is our down payment. Our guarantee. The proof that what God began, He will complete.

Even better, we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Not some things. Not just good things. All things. All things—even loss, even sickness, even death—work together for good. Not because things are good, but because God is good. He is sovereign. He is weaving every thread of your life into something beautiful. Even the scarlet threads. The heavy threads. The painful threads.

For those He foreknew, He also predestined… He called… He justified… He also glorified (Romans 8:29-30). Those verbs are all in the aorist tense. From God’s perspective, your future glory is as certain as your past salvation. That means your suffering is not the end of your story. Glory is.

So what should you do?

You should groan. It’s right to groan. It’s Christian to groan. Groan in your body. Groan in your spirit. Groan in prayer. But groan with hope.

You should trust. Trust God’s plan. Trust His promise. Trust that this ache is not pointless. This loss is not wasted. This sorrow will not win.

You should remember. Remember that the grave does not have the last word. That suffering is not a mistake. That Christ is risen. And so will you be.

You should pray. Pray for Elaine’s husband, Herb. Pray for all those who mourn. Pray for all those who suffer. Pray for one another. And when you don’t know what to say, remember Romans 8:26-27—the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

And then press on. Press on in faith. Press on in hope. Press on in love. This valley of suffering leads to a mountain of glory. That is God’s promise.

Let’s walk with one another. Let’s love one another. Let’s mourn together. Let’s wait together. Let’s hope together.