OUR STORY, HIS GLORY

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)

Have you ever heard something that you just couldn’t get out of your head?

When I had my first child, I remember my mom saying to me, “Shell, don’t do once what you don’t intend to ever do again.” Boy was she right! If you give your pre-schooler a drink of water after you put them to bed, I can promise you will be getting them several drinks of water at bedtime (delay tactic) for the rest of their pre-school days. Don’t ask me how I know, but I have passed this sage advice onto my own children who now have children of their own. I wish I would have listened to that advice myself.

Likewise, I recently heard someone say something that is still reverberating in my ears, just like my mom’s words to me all those years ago. It is this, “The harder the story, the bigger the glory.”

Before we move on, let’s first define what “glory” is NOT when describing God.  It is NOT splendor.  You may be familiar with Psalm 19:1 that says, “the heavens declare the glory of God.”  The Psalmist isn’t saying that when we look up at the beautiful blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds or drink in a beautiful sunset at the beach that we are actually beholding God’s magnificent features or qualities (definition of “splendor”).  No, we are actually experiencing the Hebrew word “kavod,”  which means “heavy” or “weighty.”

Let me explain...

When we witness the rich, deep orange the setting sun colors the sky and watch its amber glow dance across the surface of the ocean we are actually experiencing the weight of who our God is. We are standing in the weight of His goodness, His beauty, His mercy, and His compassion. However, we will never fully realize the weight of who God is until Christ returns; which leads me back to where I interrupted us.

Perhaps the reason the quote—“The harder the story, the bigger the glory”—resonated with me is because I find myself in yet another health trial wondering when it will end and, to be quite honest, if  it will end. This of course makes me think about all the other trials I have endured in life, but hearing this quote hit me right in my pity party.

I’ve always believed God allows, for a good purpose, whatever it is I go through in life. I believe sometimes the purpose is to grow (me) and sometimes it is to show (others can see what God has done in my life, therefore, seeing what He can do in theirs). But hearing this quote has made me think about my trials differently; not that God doesn’t allow trials for the reasons listed above. It made me look hard at our key verses today and for the first time in my life ask, what if our trials are more, so much more, than my finite mind can grasp? What if it’s less about the suffering and more about what the suffering develops in us? What if, like the quote says, it’s less about the story and more about God’s glory.

Peter, in our key verses today, tells us that when we too suffer in body as Christ did, we will be that more overjoyed when He returns. You may be thinking, “But Michaelle, I don’t need to suffer to be joyful when Jesus returns.” Preach, my friend! I am with you on that one! But, what if we never had any suffering in our lives?

How would we ever have any idea of what the second coming of Jesus really means for us?

From where would our longing for what God has promised originate or grow roots? Moreover, how could we ever realize the breadth of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?

Would we ever know the saving power, grace, and mercy of God? Would we ever understand that His glory is present and future tense? And if not, why would we want to spend eternity with Him?

Difficult times knock on everyone’s door and let themselves in even if we don’t answer their knocking. It’s how we respond to them that is going to make the biggest difference in our lives today and in eternity.

When we respond in faith to our suffering, it develops in us a spiritual maturity. That spiritual maturity positions us to think beyond our present circumstances and arouses a keen awareness that the cost of our suffering is actually an investment in our future joy when Jesus returns.

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (v.13).

Dear friend, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come to test (develop your faith) you. Know that God is securing your future joy for when His Son’s glory—the weight of all and who Jesus Christ is—is revealed to the world.

And remember…the harder our story, the greater His glory to be revealed to us.  Can you even imagine the joy that awaits us when His glory is revealed because we walked through our trials in faith?

Honestly, I don’t think we can.

Considering what you’ve read here today, how will you respond to the trials that knock on your door?