Living Hope Day 3

Read

Living Hope Day 3 reading:

1 Peter 1:10-12 

Ponder

As we learned yesterday, you can rejoice, even in the face of struggles, because of the certain hope you have in Christ. What God promises he will do, he does. The trust and confidence you have in Christ will one day be made sight, and that gives us strength for today. 

But even as you look forward to that day, recognize that the salvation you are now experiencing is in itself the fulfillment of prophecy. As Peter stated in verse 10, the prophets of old prophesied about the “grace that would come to you” (CSB). What was predicted so long ago, what the prophets of the Old Testament longed to see, has been made available to these believers in this time and place. 

We can draw a couple of truths from these verses as we face trials in our lives. 

• We will face trials and struggles in our lives that we may not understand in the here and now. The prophets of old prophesied about “the grace that would come” to us (v.10), but they never got to see it fulfilled in their lifetimes. They prophesied things they did not understand, that maybe didn’t make sense, truths they believed that they never saw come to fruition in their own lifetimes. We will face trials in this life—that’s guaranteed—but we may not understand why or what God is ultimately working through those circumstances until much later or until we fully understand the sovereignty and grace of God’s plan in eternity. 

• Sometimes, God uses the circumstances of our lives to minister to others. The prophets “were not serving themselves,” Peter wrote in verse 12, but rather believers who would come centuries later. Don’t lose sight of the fact that God can be glorified in even the most difficult circumstances of our lives—but also don’t overlook the reality that he can use that situation and the way you walk through it in the lives of others. From bolstering your own faltering faith to displaying his faithfulness in ways that encourage other believers, God can use every aspect of your life as a testimony to him and his character. 

The prophets of old looked into the future and saw the suffering of Christ and the glory it would bring, and they longed to see and experience its fulfillment. In the midst of today’s suffering, we believe in and long for the glory God has promised those who persevere in the faith. We desperately seek to see the end of this pain and the beginning of that joy. We, like the prophets, are living in the now and not yet, knowing that God’s promises are all true and longing to see their fulfillment. We will, Peter reminds us, because the very lives of faith we’re living today fulfill the prophecies of old. Rejoice that you are experiencing the salvation the prophets longed to see, even as you look forward to the ultimate fulfillment of your faith at Christ’s return. 

Ponder

• Are you facing trials right now that you don’t understand or seem pointless? Ask God to help you trust him in circumstances you don’t understand. Pray that he would help you see how he can use even this situation for his glory. 

• How has someone else’s example of faithfulness in a tough situation been an encouragement to you? What steps can you take today to believe that he can do the same through the situations you’re facing? 

• You are living in the fullness of the salvation the Holy Spirit revealed to those long ago prophets. How will you respond to that truth? How will you thank God for his plan of salvation?