Ephesians 2:7

Ephesians 2:7: “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

This verse offers us an astounding hope – one that is far too easily overlooked. Do you see what this verse is saying? God is eagerly looking forward to showering us with “the exceeding riches of His grace” for all of “the ages to come”. That covers a very long timespan – in fact, it covers all of eternity!

Stop and think about that! Right now we are living in the Church Age, which is a bitter time of hostility and pain (especially for Christians who live outside the United States). Life often seems full of angry people who are blinded by greed and given over to evil, seeking only their own welfare and caring nothing for others. It is a dark and cold time and it may seem like there is little kindness to be found.

But God has promised to show us kindness in the ages to come. The future is not dark, but bright – He speaks of “the exceeding riches of his grace”. We don’t yet know what that looks like, but it will be a good future. A future that is empty of the pains of this life, and filled with joys that we can only dimly imagine now.

What we have to do now is be patient and wait for it. Waiting is a hard thing. However, when impatience strikes it’s important to remember that waiting is very rewarding. It will pay off. We’re not waiting on something that will never happen. God always keeps His promises, and this one will be no exception.

The future may seem bleak, but God has given us a hope that outshines even the darkest days. This life, with its trials and problems and issues, doesn’t last forever; once our work is done the Lord will bring us home. The real life – our real existence – will start in “the ages to come”, and it will be well worth waiting for.

God never promised us a problem-free existence. In fact, Jesus plainly told His disciples that their lives would be filled with problems and that the world would hate them. He was quite clear that we would suffer, and we would be tried, and things would not go well. But He also promised us that beyond all of this was a better tomorrow.