Rejoicing in Christ in the midst of trials
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 1 Peter 1:6-8
From the text, Peter says we rejoice even as we “must endure many trials for a little while.” Peter tells us that we do not lose hope even in the midst of trials because we see pain with a different perspective. A child of God has a different attitude when facing trials. God uses trials in the life of believers to test if their faith is genuine. When things are going well in life, it is easy to claim that you are trusting God. But when difficult times come, that is when Christians should seek God and express their faith by trusting that He has a purpose why one needs to go through trials in life. Just like Job, after he went through severe trials it revealed who he was. He came to realize that he became shortsighted in dealing with his difficulties that he failed to discover God’s purposes for his life. His difficulties revealed how much he was willing to trust God. So when he removed his focused on God and started to look within and gave in to the thought that he did not deserve to go through with what he went through, he failed to manifest a deeper understanding of the will of God. Trials will strengthen your faith in God. When your focus is on God rather than your circumstances, you start to grow in your dependence and trust in Him. Job repented and surrendered completely to God when he realized his heart was filled with doubts. “I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance” (Job 42:6). In times of difficulties you learn and demonstrate God’s great sufficiency to meet your deepest needs. Your perspective becomes clearer during times of trials as compared to the times without the trials. You will be better and stronger when you come out of your trials trusting God. While in this fallen world, you will not be exempted in facing trials. This is to remind you that this world is not your home. Your home is to be in the presence of Christ rejoicing “with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”
Blessings,
