1 Peter

Endurance and Hope in Suffering 

1 Peter 5:9-10   Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

God’s grace transforms our pain.  He is in the midst of restoring our broken lives. Allow Him into the hurt. His strength enables us to endure suffering and establish faith in Him.  His eternal salvation is the salve for our wounds.  He is close to the broken-hearted; He rescues the crushed in spirit.  His Spirit is mightily at work to redeem our sorrow, comfort our racing thoughts, resist temptation and evil, establish a firm foundation of faith, heal our broken places, and call us to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus.  

Our ultimate hope, joy and comfort is in our redemption through Christ’s suffering.  Romans 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Photo: Umlauf sculpture garden, Austin, Texas

  

Suffering, Perseverance, and Hope

Romans 5:2 “And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

See how God’s peace goes before our suffering and His hope comes out of our suffering. Because we stand firm in His grace, our suffering doesn’t cause us to give up, but to persevere; suffering leads to perseverance in Christ! Ever-growing perseverance develops a strong character; Christ is laying the firm foundation for who we are. Strong identification with Christ brings eternal hope, sealed by God’s love.

1 Peter 4:13 “… be very glad–for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”

Richard Rohr says that people “who are in union with both the pain of the world and the love of God, are prepared to read the Bible.” As our mind is changed by our sensitivity to suffering and our acceptance of God’s love for us, we are able to understand God’s Word, know Jesus internally and serve Him outwardly. Sometimes it feels 2 steps forward and 1 step back, as we often first blame God for our suffering, or don’t feel His love in the moment… but if we persevere and willingly take on the mind and character of Christ, He can use and transform our suffering by His great love to lend deeper understanding of His Word and Will, develop our character, and deliver hope.

Photo: Barcelona, Spain

What God desires

What if we asked God to desire what God desires? God’s Word gives insight into His desires.

1 Peter 5:2-3 “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

God desires willing servants who long to humble themselves and represent Him. Let us pray to be Christ’s representatives by having humble, willing hearts that desire what God desires. What an act of worship when we conform our hearts to God’s heart, through the power of His indwelling spirit.

Photo: North Island, New Zealand