¹⁴If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

The theme of unjust suffering runs through Peter’s letter (e.g., 1 Peter 2:19–20, 3:14–16) as well as the entire NT (e.g., Matt. 5:10–12, John 15:19–21). The apostle Paul confided in Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Yes, becoming a follower of Christ means signing up for suffering. At conversion, we take our place in the line of fire, standing with thousands and thousands of the blessed, taking up our membership in the fraternity of those who suffer “for the name of Christ.” Our hearts resonate with and are encouraged and lifted up when we read the great promises given to us. Paul puts it this way:

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:17–18)

Yes, this is true even when we are mocked and criticized for being Christians who take a stand for righteousness. We look above and beyond our circumstances to see by faith the great hope of our blessing. This may sound like religious jargon, like the proverbial pie in the sky, but it is true. Our hearts resonate because we have tasted the glory of God through our salvation. We are not talking about an emotional experience, nor the “high,” a sort of ecstasy commonly experienced at a spiritual pep rally. Instead, this is a deep sense of God’s presence and identification with Christ.

We are invited to engage our inner imagery of standing with Christ in the midst of His suffering, suffusing His with ours. In God’s view of things, when we identify our persecution with His persecution, we begin to comprehend the blessing in our persecution. Peter speaks from his own experience, where for example, after he and the apostle John had been incarcerated and whipped for their faith, we read:

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. (Acts 5:41)

This all sounds crazy to unbelievers and even to believers who are not walking in the way of the Lord. But to those who desire to live a godly life, as hard as persecution is, our hearts rejoice when we suffer for Christ.

Lord, I believe that I am blessed when suffering, but help my unbelief.