6In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…
The supreme irony, the ultimate non-sequitur, a seeming masochism, is this: Christians are encouraged to rejoice in their difficulties and sufferings. We struggle to understand this, for it seems counterintuitive; trials and difficulties don’t naturally produce happiness. But the fundamental basis of our Christian faith is counterintuitive. Living in a sin-fallen world leaves our sensibilities wholly skewed. Scripture tells us, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12). Far better to “[t]rust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).
First of all, we notice that our passage does not tell us to rejoice “for” our trials. No, we rejoice in the truths of our great hope, despite our problems. While the difficulties of life seem endless and overwhelming, we are rooted in something far greater, the inheritance that God is keeping secure for us for eternity. In that we rejoice; it overrides all that is happening in our experience of a fallen world.
The truth of our great hope not only helps us endure, it also gives our trials meaning. Our difficulties are the seedbed for proving or demonstrating how precious our faith really is, how important it is to us, and how central the role it holds in our lives. Suffering proves that our hope in Christ far outweighs the hold trials have over us.
Testing, in order for it to be effective, must be extreme, beyond what we can bear. It brings us to the point that Job declared, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15a). When God has removed everything—our wealth, possessions, family, reputation—how precious will our faith be then? The trials will prove its depth and substance. Is there a price point at which we are no longer willing to pay in our living for Christ? Jesus told us to count the cost (Luke 14:26–28).
God holds in high regard those who trust Him when the costs are high. He says this kind of faith is more precious than gold. When Christ returns, every sacrifice of faith, every moment of endurance in the hope of Christ, will be seen by all as that which honors God, and it will cause many to praise and glorify Him.
Lord, I do rejoice in You no matter how difficult my life becomes.
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