Hope for the Hurting: For the Hurting: Encouragement for Suffering Seasonsنموونە

The more we understand who God is and all He’s promised, the more we’re able to maintain hope in our darkest and most unsettling seasons. Peter, the first-century church leader who wrote the letter bearing his name, understood this. Living during the time of the Emperor Nero, he and the other Christ-followers experienced significant hardship. No doubt, they were terrified and hurting.

Alert to their pain and suffering, Peter reminded them of who they were in Christ and to Christ. In his opening, he referred to himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ.”

In other words, he was operating and writing under the authority of Christ, their Redeemer, Victorious Savior, and Lord. Regardless of how chaotic things appeared, Jesus was still driving His mission and pushing back the world’s darkness with light.

In his letter, Peter called the men and women he wrote to sojourners, exiles, or, as some translations phrase it, strangers. He was reminding them that they were residing, temporarily, in a land never intended to be their home. They were on a long, figurative road trip. While they remained alert to their surroundings, Paul wanted them to fix their focus on the glorious hope that lay ahead.

Our journey might feel hard, but the pitfalls and steep inclines won’t last forever. One day, we’ll reach our eternal destination. We’re destined for a place free from pain and hardship and filled with inconceivable joy.

That, not suffering and hardship, is our ultimate destination, because, despite how our situation appears, and regardless how heavy the weight of our grief, we remain God’s chosen people. That won’t change, no matter who or what comes against us. We are, and always will be, held secure by the love, power, and grace of Christ.

God won’t abandon us, close His ears to us, or evoke His call on our lives. And praise God, this present, broken, sin-ravished world is not our home. We’re destined for so much more!

I hope this Bible reading plan encouraged you and increased your intimacy with Christ and sense of His love. For more encouragement, visit Jennifer Slattery's devotional website JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com where you can subscribe to her newsletter to access additional free faith-building content.