“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Nobody wants to go through trials. If you’re in one right now, you’re probably not thinking, “Oh good, this will prove my faith!” But here’s what Peter wants us to understand: trials reveal whether our hope is real. Gold is tested by fire to prove it’s genuine. Your faith is tested by difficulty to prove it’s anchored in something solid. This doesn’t mean God is causing your suffering, but it does mean He can use it to refine you and reveal that your hope in Christ is the real deal.
Gerardo went through deployment after deployment, lost friends, saw humanity at its worst. He could have turned his back on God completely. For a while, he was angry with God. But eventually, like Job, he came to a place of realizing that God is God and we are not. Our purpose isn’t found in comfortable circumstances. It’s found in knowing Christ and letting Him use us wherever we are. When you have a hope grounded in the resurrection, stemming from grace, and anchored in Christ Himself, that hope will hold you even in the fire. It might not take away the pain, but it will give you something certain to hold onto when everything else feels uncertain.
Reflect:
- What trial are you facing right now that could become an opportunity for your faith to be proven genuine? ** What trial are you facing right now that could become an opportunity for your faith to be proven genuine?
- How has God used past difficulties to refine your faith and deepen your hope in Him?
- Bring your current trials honestly before God. Ask Him to sustain you through them and to use them to prove that your hope in Christ is genuine and unshakeable. Pray for the perspective to see beyond the “little while” of suffering to the eternal glory that awaits.
