Rejoice in Your Suffering

1 Peter 4:13: But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

What is your initial reaction to this verse? If you’re like me, you did a double take and said, what? No one likes to suffer, so how are we supposed to rejoice in our suffering? Where is that joy and peace at, right?

Believe it or not it comes in the suffering, and it is beyond anything on this earth. It has taken me a few years to get this concept and I hope this helps you get to the point where you can rejoice in your suffering. For I have found that it is in our suffering that we draw near to God and His glory shines through when we rejoice bringing glory to Him who sustains us!

Paul gives us a great picture of this in 2 Corinthians 12: 1-19. I am going to zero in on verses 7-10. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In the novel A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund, the

hero Wyatt suffers another blow. Judd speaks wisdom and truth to him.

“Been hanging my hat something my ma taught me

from the Good Book,” Judd continued, jawing more now

than he had in a month. “She always said, we ain’t

supposed to be surprised when we come against fiery

trials. If the Lord suffered, then we gotta expect the

suffering too.” (p. 229 Jody Hedlund, A Cowboy for

Keeps 2021)

For we can do nothing apart from God. Someone is always watching the way you live your life and respond to obstacles and crisis. When we lean into God and allow His strength to shine through our weakness, we point others to Him. Isn’t that we are all striving to do?

Let me leave you with this thought. When you choose to live for Christ, you are opposed by His

enemy. Expect to suffer for your faith, but also expect the Lord your God to protect and sustain you!