1 Peter 3:6-9; Heb. 12:3-11, Trials

Peter has presented a hope that is real, a hope secured by the resurrection of Christ, made available by God’s abundant mercy, and guaranteed to all who are born again.  It is not a desert mirage, a vision of something that looks real but disappoints the thirsty man who never arrives at what he hopes for.  Think about that.  What if the thirsty man knows that he is not seeing a mirage but is seeing something very real?  Will it not cause him to go on, crawling on the hot sand, for the joy of cool, clear water?

The Holy Spirit through Peter has described this hope of the believer so that he might greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.  The hope is for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (v5), or as v9 says, the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.  Now the emphasis is on the life of trials we experience on earth through which the hope sustains us.  The trials are hard, but Peter is clear: they serve a valuable purpose in our lives!  Here are four thoughts about trials that help us see why we can rejoice in them.

·        They are short, for a little while, 1:6.  They last a few days, like the chastening of childhood by our fathers (Heb. 12:10).  We will be established after you have suffered a while (1 Pt. 5:10).  They are short, and thus, they are light (2 Cor. 4:17).  Remember that God never over-burdens you with trials (1 Cor. 10:13).

·        They are necessary, if need be as Peter says.  Think about it.  Jesus had trials (Hb. 2:12; 4:15); Paul had trials (Ac. 20:19); Abraham had trials (Hb. 11:17); all God’s people of faith had trials (Hb. 11:36-37).  So as Peter says, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as thought some strange thing happened to you (1 Pt. 4:12-13).  After all: we life in this world, a place hostile to Christ; we carry around the dead man, the flesh, and our enemy is the devil.

·        They are grievous.  Perhaps you don’t need to be told this, but you do need to know that GOD KNOWS THIS!  The Bible relates our trials to childbirth (Jn. 16:2), parental discipline (Hb. 12:11) and an iron furnace (Jer. 11:4).  Jesus promised this (Jn. 16:20).  So don’t complain; rather let it lead you to maturity (2 Cor. 7:10).

·        They are diverse (these are the various trials Peter speaks of, various types).  There are three categories, if you will:  those what bring pain (lust of the flesh), those that deprive us of the things of this world (lust of the eyes), and those that attack our position and relationships (pride of life).  We know that our suffering is increased when we are tempted to take the easy way out rather than to allow the trial to do its perfect work (Jas. 1:3-5).  Ultimately our trials are about trusting God versus following after an idol.  

To return to the illustration of the mirage, consider this: who hopes more for water; the man in the desert or the man in the kitchen next to the faucet?  It is in the midst of trials, of affliction, more than at any other time, that we eagerly await our salvation!  Because of our hope let us greatly rejoice!