Don’t Be Surprised

Don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you. —1 Peter 4:12

Four years ago, my husband, LeRoy, was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening disease. This was on top of another rare disease he already has. It’s been difficult to adjust to the idea that he might always suffer with intense pain.

But Peter tells us to not be surprised when facing a fiery trial. It’s as though he’s saying, “Do you find it strange that we would be called to endure suffering and use it as a platform to proclaim truths about God? Don’t be astonished. All suffering, for a believer, is temporary and purposeful.”

When the first century believers went through literal “fiery trials,” they viewed it as a privilege—to allow others to see that following Jesus was more valuable to them than their lives. You and I may never endure the suffering they faced, but suffering is still hard whatever form it takes. And when we suffer deeply and for long periods of time, we need the stabilizing comfort of truth: the truth breathed from God through His Word to us.

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“Three Words to Consider in Your Fiery Trial” (Kimberly Wagner,  ReviveOurHearts.com/blog)

Scripture taken from The CSB