“We encounter the love and life of Christ in a new way as we walk through trials.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 20, 2025
Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:17-18, NLT
No one asks for suffering or times of trial, either for ourselves or those we love. Suffering comes in many forms, physical and spiritual, and on the surface, these are experiences we’d all rather avoid. And yet, as anyone who has endured suffering with great faith can attest, it was in and through these trials, not in spite of them, that they encountered the love and life of Christ in a new way.
As Peter writes in 1 Peter 3, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants. Now, we might at first be taken aback by these words! Why would God ever want me to suffer? Clarity on who God is, and is not, is key in this moment. Does God want us to suffer for suffering’s sake? No. Does he transform suffering and redirect it for our good? Absolutely, and if we doubt this for a moment, all we have to do is look to Jesus Christ himself.
Peter points us to the redemptive nature of suffering by showing us the perfect example, as seen in our Lord’s death upon the cross. “He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.” Christ’s suffering was a passage from death to life, not simply for himself, but for all who call upon his name in faith. He destroyed death by death and invites us to know the same resurrection power. The Spirit that raised him to life offers the same resurrection to you and to me.
Of course, it’s easier to see this redemptive end in times of peace or when observing the lives of others. It’s one thing to tell a friend that the Lord will redeem their suffering, it’s something altogether different to believe it for ourselves. Yet this is precisely the place in which our faith is made real and proven to be true. As such, though we don’t pursue suffering or seek it out, when it comes our way, do not be dismayed nor surprised. Instead, trust that the Lord is leading you through your trial, and that you will come through the other side transformed and made able to dwell with him in a new and remarkable way.
Prayer
Father, give us the grace to endure trials and suffering with an unshakable hope in your goodness and mercy that can be known in and through the pain, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Reflect on the truth that Christ is with you in and through suffering.
Related Reading
Isaiah 43:2; Psalm 34:17-18; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
Worship Resource
Victory Worship: You Are With Me
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