Triumph Over Trials - 1 and 2 PeterЗагвар

Suffering in Step with the Savior

Read: 1 Peter 2:18-25

SOAP: 1 Peter 2:22-23

He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth. When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly.

Into the Text

Suffering — a word we naturally resist and recoil from, especially when suffering arises from doing what is good and right. Here in this passage, Peter gently pulls back the veil and encourages us to look squarely at an uncomfortable truth: Jesus’ suffering was part of God’s divine plan.

How can it be? How can the One so dearly loved by the Father endure such depth of suffering? It can feel contradictory, but suffering does not indicate God’s absence or a lack of His love. If you are ever in doubt, fix your eyes on the cross. God used Jesus’ suffering to forge our salvation, the ultimate purpose behind the incomprehensible pain.

Jesus, our perfect example, didn’t resist or retaliate. He was maligned, falsely accused, yet He didn’t answer back. He could have summoned legions of angels to His defense, but He didn’t. Instead, in quiet strength and profound humility, Jesus entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly — His loving Father.

What if, like Jesus, we could trust God in the midst of our suffering? What if we could grasp that our seasons of pain, while never desired, are held within God’s capable and loving hands for a purpose far greater than we can see? The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus’ suffering should bring us comfort, knowing that our Savior understands suffering and sympathizes with us (Hebrews 4:15). We are not alone in our suffering. Jesus is able to go before the Father on our behalf, and we receive comfort, grace, and strength through the Holy Spirit.

As followers of Christ, we are called to walk in His steps. This means that, in the face of suffering, rather than fighting back, we are invited to lean into God’s steadfast love and surrender to His perfect timing for justice. It’s a call to radical trust.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, in times of suffering, especially when I’m trying to do good, help me to look to You as my example. Grant me the grace to trust You deeply, knowing that You see my pain and have a purpose that extends beyond my understanding. Help me to rest in Your just and loving hands. Amen.