Category: Digging Deeper

There are quite a few head-scratchers in Scripture: questions about why certain events unfolded as they did, and why God allowed certain things to happen the way they were recorded. As I read and examine many of these incidents, I’m left with this question: why does God allow His people to suffer…for doing good?

We don’t have the time to delve into every aspect of this age-old mystery. However, we see countless examples in the Bible of people doing the right thing yet suffering as though they had committed a terrible crime. Why?

1 Peter 3:17, taken on its own, is challenging to understand. We need some context here to begin to grasp what Peter is trying to convey in this passage:

• Peter is writing to new Christians—primarily Gentiles (non-Jews) who are being persecuted. They are being treated harshly, verbally abused, and discriminated against. Some have endured torture and death.
• Peter urges them to keep their focus on the glory that awaits in eternity and to remember how Christ suffered on their behalf.
• Peter, an Apostle, had seen, spoken with, and been restored by the risen Christ. He witnessed Christ’s suffering but also saw that Jesus rose to new life!
• Peter wants readers to understand that we are blessed to share in the suffering of Christ. When we experience pain, mistreatment, agony, hardship, and torment, we identify with Him and gain greater intimacy with Him.

Here are a couple of Scripture passages that might help us reconcile 1 Peter 3:17:

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” – Romans 8:17-18 (NLT)

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

The essence of Christianity is faith in who Jesus Christ is and trusting in Him as Lord and Savior. We must hold fast to the hope of the resurrection because this is why Jesus suffered in the first place—to redeem us with His body and blood so that we could share in the resurrection with Him!

Sin and suffering are intertwined and have been since humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden. The best way to handle suffering—especially suffering for doing good—is to lean on the Lord, look forward to the eternal prize that awaits, and live righteously, so that those who see you suffering will notice there’s something different about you.

Nothing is wasted when we live for Christ.

I’ve got two words for you: Road Rage.

If you’ve been behind the wheel of a car, you’ve seen it and almost certainly felt it. Traffic is infuriating, but inconsiderate, self-absorbed drivers take things to a new level. We all have our stories to share, but a friend of mine recently told one that left me in stunned silence.

He was simply driving to the grocery store, making his way through the parking lot. He spotted a vehicle backing out of a parking space ahead and turned on his blinker. He waited for the driver to pull out and even backed up his car to give the driver extra room. Just as he was about to turn into the vacant space, a young man came out of nowhere, cut him off, and pulled into the space ahead of him. My friend honked, but this fine young gentleman accompanied his selfish act with some hand gestures.

As my friend told me this story, my blood began to boil. I started thinking about what I would have said or how I would have responded, and none of them are found in the Sermon on the Mount.

But my friend remained calm and simply kept driving through the parking lot until he found another space—a couple of aisles over from where he had planned to park. He then proceeded to go into the grocery store, grabbed a few items, checked out, and walked back to his car. As he made his way through the lot, he spotted the guy who had cut him off. The young man was standing in front of his car with the hood propped open. My friend walked over and asked, “Is there any way I can help?”

By this point, my jaw had dropped, and I was feeling severely convicted—and I was just listening to the story!

The young man immediately realized who was offering to help him. He felt about an inch tall at that point, but my friend persisted. “Do you know what’s wrong?”

“My battery is dead,” the guy sheepishly replied. “My car won’t start.”

“Well, I’ve got some jumper cables in my car,” my buddy said. “I’m happy to grab them and see if I can help get your car started.”

Before the guy could decline the offer, my friend moved his car, retrieved the cables, connected them to the battery terminals in both vehicles, and successfully jump-started the guy’s battery. The young man was grateful but clearly ashamed of himself.

“If I had been you, I don’t think I would have helped,” he said.

“Well, that’s OK,” my friend replied. “Next time, you will.”

I will never forget this story. I still wonder: if my friend hadn’t offered to help, how would that decision have affected this young man’s life?

In His message known as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offered these words to the thousands who had gathered to listen:

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45, NLT)

This is not easy to do on a good day, much less when we have been wronged. But we have Good News to share with a lost world. If we respond as the world would respond, we surrender our influence and squander an opportunity to put the goodness of God on display.

If you’ve been to a major sporting event or concert, you’ve encountered them. They are often holding large posters, wearing sandwich board signs, and almost always projecting their message through the famed bullhorn. They’re the so-called “hellfire and brimstone” evangelists.

Admittedly, I get upset each time I encounter them. Wrong message, wrong tactics. Am I disputing that sinners should repent and give their lives to the Lord? No! But instead of yelling that people are going to hell and centering their narrative around fear, perhaps they could examine the Scriptures and see how Jesus spoke to crowds.

These folks focus on shame. Jesus focused on forgiveness.
They speak with contempt. Jesus spoke with love.
They cast judgment. Jesus offered redemption.
They make assertions and blanket statements. Jesus asked questions.
They push people away. Jesus invited people in.

Whether or not you carry a bullhorn, you still share a message with everyone you encounter about who Jesus is to you—through your work ethic, how you speak to others, how you serve others, whether you are kind and considerate, how you drive in traffic, and even how far you’re willing to go to win a game. Whether you realize it or not, you are constantly communicating something to the people in your sphere of influence! What do you want to tell them about who Jesus is through your words and behavior?

Peter tells us we need to live our lives in such a way that people notice a difference (for the good) and may ask us about the joy and hope they see in our lives. When this door opens, we need to be ready (and eager) to share who Christ is and what He has done!

Are you living in such a way that someone would ask you that question? If not, you’ve got some self-examination and reflection ahead of you. If so, spend time thinking and praying about how you’ll respond when that day comes. People who aren’t believers don’t think and act like believers, so heed Peter’s words: be gentle and respectful. The only time they might see Jesus is through you!

When I read Peter’s letters, this thought occasionally occurs to me: “He makes it sound so easy!”

The phrase “fear not” appears more than 70 times in Scripture, with the words “fear” or “afraid” appearing more than 200 times. This apparently was—and continues to be—a topic that bears repeating for all of us. We need constant reminders that our enemy is at work to discourage us, but that we have no true reason to fear when we are living in fellowship with the Lord.

In Peter’s first letter, he implores early Christians under persecution to continue to fight the good fight, do good amid suffering, and remember Christ in everything. But even when we persevere and put on our game face, worry can creep in—especially when your life is being threatened for your faith!

In America, we rarely, if ever, face the type of persecution these early believers suffered. But we still face threats—very real ones. And it’s so easy to focus on the “what ifs” and prematurely fill in the blanks on a story God hasn’t finished yet, instead of fixing our gaze on Jesus—the One who holds us in His hands.

The Apostle Paul wrote several letters to early churches to remind them who they were in Christ. In Philippians, he encouraged believers to combat worry through prayer:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

While it makes perfect sense to PRAY instead of WORRYING, it’s tough to let go of worry altogether. Perhaps that’s why Peter offers us another antidote to worry and fear: he tells us to WORSHIP Christ instead of focusing on the threats against us. When Christ becomes the object of our affection and attention, worry, doubt, anxiety, and fear begin to fade away. By baring our soul to the Lord through worship, we lay our problems at His feet and surrender control to Him. This breaks the chains of discouragement and gives us freedom from the emotional prison we’ve been locked in!

Have you ever read the story of Joseph in Genesis? If not, perhaps you’ve seen the Broadway musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. If you’re not familiar with this epic story, it’s worth your time to read Genesis 37-50.

In a nutshell, Joseph was the favored son of Jacob (whom God renamed Israel after Jacob wrestled with Him all night and didn’t relent). Joseph had 11 brothers, 10 of whom were older than him—and nine of those brothers made the decision to sell Joseph to foreigners as a slave. They then told Jacob that Joseph had been mauled by a wild animal.

Meanwhile, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of the Egyptian guard. Joseph served Potiphar well and honored the Lord in how he handled his responsibilities. As a result, Potiphar’s household thrived—that is, until Potiphar’s wife began to lust after Joseph. He refused her numerous advances, and she became so offended that she accused him of raping her. Potiphar threw Joseph in prison, where he remained for years.

Yet the Lord was with Joseph in prison. He was a model inmate, and because of God’s favor, the prison warden came to fully trust Joseph and ultimately put him in charge of all the prisoners. There, Joseph met two men who were also imprisoned: one was Pharaoh’s cupbearer, and the other was the chief baker. Both had dreams and needed help understanding their meanings. Joseph interpreted their dreams and asked them to remember him when they were released. They didn’t—at least, not for two years, until Pharaoh himself began having dreams that no one could interpret.

To make a long story short, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, became second in command over all of Egypt, saved the country (and perhaps the world) from a seven-year famine, and increased Egypt’s wealth. Among those he saved were his brothers—the very ones who had sold him into slavery 13 years earlier! The brothers didn’t recognize Joseph when they came to buy grain, but he remembered them. Eventually, Joseph revealed his identity to them, and they were terrified for their lives. They schemed and manipulated some details for self-preservation, but Joseph responded with kindness and grace:

“Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:19-20, NLT)

What’s the lesson? Keep doing good. Keep honoring the Lord, no matter what harm others may try to do to you, and regardless of your circumstances. In the end, trust that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

God meant it for good with Joseph, and it’s the same for you and me when we honor Him with our words and actions.