NOVEMBER 24, 2014
Hope
In Suffering
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9
In this [living hope] you greatly rejoice, though now for a
little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. —1 Peter 1:6
When I opened my Bible to read Jeremiah 1
through 4, the subhead ascribed to the book startled me: “Hope in Time of
Weeping.” I almost cried. The timing was perfect, as I was walking through a
season of weeping over the death of my mom.
I felt much the same way after hearing my
pastor’s sermon the day before. The title was “Joy in Suffering,” taken from 1
Peter 1:3-9. He gave us an illustration from his own life: the one-year
anniversary of his father’s death. The sermon was meaningful for many, but for
me it was a gift from God. These and other events were indications backed up by
His Word that God would not leave me alone in my grief.
Even though the way of sorrow is hard, God
sends reminders of His enduring presence. To the Israelites expelled from the
Promised Land due to disobedience, God made His presence known by sending
prophets like Jeremiah to offer them hope—hope for reconciliation through
repentance. And to those He leads through times of testing, He shows His
presence through a community of believers who “love one another fervently with
a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22). These indications of God’s presence during trials
on earth affirm God’s promise of the living hope awaiting us at the
resurrection.
Does Jesus care when I’ve said goodbye
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see? O yes, He
cares! —Graeff
We need never be ashamed of our tears. —Dickens
Insight
The apostle Peter wrote his letters to a
church that was enduring persecution for their faith. Though the “various
trials” they were experiencing (1 Peter 1:6) may not be the same type of trials
we must endure, the source of the strength to endure is the same. We are not
alone in our trials, and our endurance in them is not due to our inner
strength. It is God Himself who strengthens us to endure. We are kept by the
power of God (v.5), so that our faith praises, honors, and glorifies Christ
(v.7).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012