Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all.Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Rom. 8:23-25)

Can I trust if I don’t yet “see”? Can I trust in something God has promised in my life and wait patiently? The hardest thing for us as American Christians is that ugly word: waiting. 

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We don’t like waiting. We don’t like trouble. We don’t like pain in the trouble while we’re waiting.

Yet, all of it builds something magnificent as we walk with God. It builds longing. If we are in Christ, we realize it builds a hope for something more. Something real. Something eternal. 

Present troubles are manageable in our lives when living in the hope of future redemption.

Lord, help me mature in my walk with you! Let me know longing. Let me know hope.