Through It All

“We live with great expectation, and have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven… pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

So be truly glad!

There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine.

So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy! The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls…It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen!”

Yep, those are the living words of God given for our encouragement in 1st Peter chapter 1. (NLT) Aren’t they incredibly full and rich?

I grew up with the King James translation and it is strong and familiar and comfortable to me. Part of my grade school education was actually memorizing 1& 2 Peter and reciting it in front of the entire class.

Back then my greatest trial was being painfully shy and awkward around people. With a room full of eyes burning holes through me, the room would start to spin white and my ears would pound so loudly I could hardly hear my own quavery voice. The panic of public speaking choked me everytime!

My trials now are on a different level than childhood’s anxieties. But the rhythm and flow of these memorized words still speak truth and peace to my soul.

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations…that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold…”

He says the trial is only for a season.

And only if need be.

He knows what we need to keep us from depending on our own strength to get us through.

Remember this gospel song by Andrae Crouch?

“But in every situation, God gave me blessed consolation,that my trials come to only make me strong.

So I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys,

I thank Him for the storms He brought me through.

For if I’d never had a problem,

I wouldn’t know God could solve them,

I’d never know what faith in God could do.

Through it all…through it all,I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,

I’ve learned to trust in God.

Through it all…through it all,

I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.”