1 Peter 4:12-13 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
Peter shares some thought-provoking words in the verses above. He says we shouldn’t be surprised when we face fiery trials in our lives. Well, most of us expect our lives to be smooth sailing once we allow God to take the wheel. The reality is that we still face problems; we still face trials that test our faith. God allows them in our lives.
We don’t expect to just keep studying in college and not face any exams, do we? It is these examinations that test what we’ve learnt and give us an opportunity to do better next time. It’s the same in our spiritual lives as well. We go through life learning about walking closer with God day by day. But it’s only during difficult circumstances that we realize how spiritually mature we really are.
Peter tell us that we’re not only to be surprised when we face trials, but we should rejoice! That certainly does seem unrealistic, but we need to remember Peter was persecuted for His faith. He went through fiery trials as well. If he can learn to rejoice in his suffering, so can we. We can rejoice in the fact that God is on our side, and He has already won the victory for us. We can remain joyful in hope, knowing that God who helped us this far will carry us safely through the trial. We can be glad that at the end of our suffering, we will look back in awe and praise God for His grace and strength that sustained us.
