I am a list maker. I like to start out my day with a list of tasks I need to complete. I feel great satisfaction in accomplishing and crossing items off my to-do list. God is a list maker as well, the 10 Commandments is perhaps His greatest to-do list.  In 1 Peter 4, God gives us another list: four things to do when we are suffering.

Please take a moment and go before God in prayer. Confess to Him any sin, and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Please read 1 Peter 4:13-16, 19.

In verse 13, what is our first to-do when we are suffering?

How deeply are we to rejoice?

The word for rejoice used in verse 13 is chairo, which means, “to be well, to thrive, to be glad.” It also means, “let the hope of future blessedness bring you joy.” So while we are suffering we must focus forward, knowing God has a great blessing for us. To the extent we have suffered, we will be blessed!

Verse 16 names another suffering to-do. What is it?

The word glorify means “to praise, to honor, to make renowned.” If God wants us to praise Him through our suffering, there must be some thing praiseworthy in our suffering.  If we can’t see anything praise-worthy at the moment, let’s praise by faith.

Verse 18 names two more to-do’s when suffering. Please name them.

We are to trust God is good, and continue to do good. The temptation when suffering is to become self-focused. When our attention is completely riveted on our pain, it intensifies. Doing good brings healing to our souls, encourages others, and glorifies God.

Name one item from the to-do list you will do and how you will accomplish it.

Thank you for joining me today for Bible study!

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

Psalm 91:15

This verse stood out to me today in my reading, because it is so encouraging. Initially, it may not seem so. I can’t think of anyone I know, myself included, who thinks Oh yea! Another problem to deal with! I’d rather my life sail along without any obstacles to get in the way of my plans. But I’ve lived long enough to know that problems and tragedies are a part of life, as Jesus tells us in John 16:33.

As I meditated on this verse, the truth of it rang clear in my life, because I’ve also lived long enough to find out that God does walk through problems and tragedies with me. Two words in this verse captured my attention, and I wanted to explore them further: deliver and honor. I think you’ll be encouraged by the nuances of these two words and the meaning that they give to our sufferings.

First of all, the word deliver is chalats in Hebrew. It has some interesting meanings including “to be equipped,” “to be armed,” “to make strong,” “brace up,” and “to invigorate.” This gave me pause. How many times have I thought as I was walking through a trial that I didn’t know if I had enough strength to get through this? Most recently, I remember thinking that when my son was burned in an accident two years ago. As I went through the debriding process with him, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to handle the horror of that procedure. But did you see what God promises us? God equips me, arms me, makes me strong, braces me up, and even invigorates (!) me so that I can withstand the troubles I am in. And He did. It was not easy, but God was true to His word. God will not let our troubles defeat us if we trust Him!

The word honor also has an interesting meaning. It is transliterated kabad, and it means “to be glorious,” “be honored,” and “gain glory.” I’ve never thought of my trials as being a means of honor and glory, but it would seem that in the process of our suffering, God gives us a spiritual honor and glory.

I know it is excruciatingly difficult to walk through times of trials, but I hope that this encourages you today to hold on to God. Don’t let go. He will walk with you, equipping you, strengthening you, and bracing you up for whatever lies ahead. If you feel like you’ve reached the end of your strength, then be even more encouraged, because that’s when the Holy Spirit takes over, if you let Him. He’ll give you a supernatural strength, or He will give you a time of rest to recharge.

Pray on!

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Do you think you are unusable because you have been weak or foolish? God says otherwise! To do the Take 5! study The Weak and Foolish, just click on the link!

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