Our Present Troubles

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Paul is saying that compared to our eternity with Jesus, our present troubles that we may be experiencing from day to day, are actually small in comparison with what we will have. Most of us would think in our minds; “but I have an overwhelming amount troubles now, how is that helping me now?” We are getting to that answer, hold on.

Paul says that it is a mindset. What dominates our minds are our troubles. His antidote to that is keeping our minds on what will be. Not just in glory with Jesus, that should always be at the forefront of our minds, but what it will be like the moment when the troubles will pass.

It’s a bad analogy but; I often get cut at work, hands, arms, legs… the wounds hurt, but I often think about what it will feel like when the sore is healed. So, I take care of the cut, to help it to heal faster and to minimize the pain. When we look past the troubles that we are going through, to the time when we can feel at ease again, it minimizes the suffering.

Paul’s troubles did not pass, he had immeasurable suffering and pain, but he got past it by looking at his time in glory, (things that are not seen). Paul looked to the time he would be with Jesus in glory. So he says in verse 18; “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.”

Prayer:
Lord, help us not to fix our minds on the present troubles, but on the time when the troubles will pass. Help us to keep our minds set on the things that are not seen instead of the present troubles that we are enduring.

Lord, remove the pain and suffering of all those who are reading this devotion, bring them internal peace and joy as they keep their minds stayed on You. Amen