Entrusting Our Souls to Jesus

[Read 1 Peter 4:12-19]

Everyone has those moments in life when it seems like anything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong. 

I had one of those moments as I was wrapping up my time in seminary. Wrapping up seminary involves feeling of gratitude, accomplishment, and a TON of uncertainty. You have no idea what the future holds. Our entire family was hanging in limbo to some degree, unsure where we would be. Then, in the midst of this uncertainty, one of our kids became pretty ill. She was sick for a couple months and we couldn’t figure out what was going on. Eventually she ended up in the hospital for a couple weeks. In the midst of all this, I found out that I had missed an email along the way and my name wasn’t put on the list to be a candidate for ministry. I was told I would have to wait another year to be ordained—which is pretty heartbreaking after such a long journey. Thankfully, we were able to work things out, but that meant that I was working on my candidacy requirements—filling out my pastoral profile, scheduling numerous candidacy examinations, etc…—and studying for finals and preparing for my oral comps WHILE in the hospital with my daughter.

In the midst of this I was praying. As I’ve mentioned before, I use the Psalms to help guide my prayers, especially during extremely difficult times. And, sometimes I write my prayers out. I don’t even remember what Psalm I was praying through, but I remember writing something like, “What is going on God? Why is all this happening right now, at the same time? Why can’t things just go smoothly?” As I wrote the last line, the Spirit stabbed me. And immediately I thought, “Why do I keep expecting things to go smoothly? Why do I assume that things will go smoothly if I am ‘in the will of God?” 

There’s this false assumption that has been brewing in the church recently that if things go smoothly God’s hand is in it, but if things don’t go smoothly, God’s hand wasn’t in it. Haven’t you ever heard someone say something like this: “Wow. As I sold and purchased my home, things just fell into place so smoothly that I could see God’s hand everywhere.” Yet, you never hear anyone say, “Wow. As I tried to sell and buy a home, things went so poorly—everything seemed to go wrong. God’s hand was definitely in it.” There’s an implicit understanding that when God’s hand is in something—it must go smoothly. 

Yet, why do we think that? We don’t get it from the Bible. What do you think Joseph would have to say about that concept? God showed him that we would eventually be a ruler in Egypt. How smoothly did things go for him? Ask Israel about how smoothly things when for them as they left Egypt and headed to the Promised Land. Ask God’s people how smoothly things went as they were kicked out of the Promised Land and brought into exile. Ask Jesus how smoothly things went for him as he fulfilled his purpose and died on a cross. Just because paths are bumpy and rutted and full of pot-holes, doesn’t mean God’s hand is not in it. 

Peter reminds us of that this morning. In verse nineteen, he says something that can anger some. He says, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will…” (1 Peter 4:19, NIV). There is suffering that comes according to the will of God. His hand is in it. It’s there on purpose. Things may not be going smoothly for a reason. 

And Peter says, we shouldn’t be surprised by this. He says, “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.” (1 Peter 4:12, NIV). Don’t be surprised when trials and struggles happen in your life. Don’t be surprised when things don’t go smoothly. Don’t be surprised when it seems like things seem to be going from bad to worse. 

He even tells us not think that something strange is happening because it’s NORMAL. It’s a normal thing to have struggle and trials in this life. It’s a normal thing to experience difficulties and hardship. It’s normal. So don’t be surprised by it; even if it’s really bad—a fiery trial. 

Then Peter says something even more shocking—something that is repeatedly said throughout scripture, which should remove the “shock factor” but doesn’t. He says we shouldn’t be surprised by the trials and difficulties, but we should REJOICE. Yeah, that’s what he said—and people are still angry about it. I’ve had people who have found themselves in the midst of trial and struggle look at me with deep contempt and say, “I suppose you think I should be rejoicing right now!” I realize they are hurting and in pain, so we move on, but the truth is: I’m not the one who is telling people to rejoice in their suffering. God is! Feel free to ignore me. Just don’t ignore the one who created you. That’s not a good idea. 

He even brings this home a little further to the church. He gives an example of something they are experiencing. He says, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” (1 Peter 4:14, NIV). So, his church was experiencing insults and mocking for their faith in Jesus Christ. The world around them saw them as foolish and ignorant and divisive. And how does Peter say they should respond to the insults and the mocking? They should recognize that they are BLESSED! Yep, they are blessed because they are being mocked and persecuted. Why? They are blessed because the mocking and insults are only proving the fact that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is in them. If they looked like the rest of the world, they wouldn’t be mocked—but they also wouldn’t have the Spirit of Jesus Christ and salvation. Instead, they have the Spirit of Jesus Christ and have been saved and rescued from the world and have the taste of eternal life, and they are mocked for it, and they are blessed. It’s a different way of looking at things. 

So, how to we begin to live this way? How in the world can we not be surprised when trials and difficulties come our way? How in the world can we actually rejoice when struggles occur in our life? How can we actually see ourselves as blessed when people are mocking us and insulting us for our faith? We trust our God and Savior. 

That’s what Peter says in verse 19. He says, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator…” (1 Peter 4:19, ESV). This verse is a summary of the entire book of 1 Peter. This is what the entire book is about. It’s about entrusting our souls to a faithful Creator in the midst of suffering. It’s about laying our lives in his hands and trusting Him. It’s about recognizing that God is in control and not always questioning Him, or fighting with Him, or arguing with Him, but trusting Him. 

And Peter reminds us that we can trust Him because he is “a faithful Creator…” (1 Peter 4:19, ESV). He is faithful. That means that God will never fail or falter or let you down. He is faithful. He has been with you in the past. He was walked you through difficult times in the past. You’ve watched Him give you strength and endurance. You’ve watched God protect you and your family. You’ve read about God’s faithfulness in the Bible. As God continued to walk with and rescue His rebellious people. He is a faithful God and He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Yet, He’s more than faithful, He’s a faithful Creator. He is the one who created everything we see, and he did it with the breath of His mouth. God spoke and things leaped into existence. God speaks and the earth shakes and the oceans tremble. God is the one who watches over the entire universe, making sure each planet continues in its orbit and each season arrives on time. He’s powerful. 

When you combine these two things, you see their importance. If God was only powerful, but not faithful, he would be like the really good employee that never shows up at work. Not very helpful. If God were faithful, but not powerful, he would be like the employee that faithfully shows up everyday and messes things up. Not very helpful. In stead, God is faithful and powerful. He is faithful and is strong enough to be completely faithful.

That’s why we can rejoice in the midst of trials. That’s why we can see ourselves as blessed in the midst of persecution. Because we know that we are serving a faithful Creator. We know that God is in control of all these things—that God is even in control of our suffering. Yet, we also know that He is faithful and good. This suffering isn’t happening as a means of torture. God doesn’t take an evil delight in watching us suffer. This suffering is also not happening because God is unable to rescue us. He is the creator. He can rescue you from anything. So, you’re in this trial and difficulty because the faithful Creator wants you there. There’s a reason for it. 

At the core the reason is a test. That’s what Peter says at the beginning. He says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you…” (1 Peter 4:12, ESV). This isn’t a “test” in terms of passing or failing. These trials are not there to see whether we are “real Christian” or not. That’s not the point. Here’s the definition of the Greek word: “to try to learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing.” It’s talking about testing as a way of getting to the essence of something. Like we mentioned last week, this testing is being used as a purifying fire—removing all of the junk in your life that’s not supposed to be there. It’s being used to chip off the rough edges.

That’s why we rejoice and see ourselves as blessed. When we recognize that these trials are being used by a faithful Creator to shape us into who He wants us to be, we can rejoice. We’re becoming more like Jesus Christ! We’re coming closer to living the life of faith we’ve been created to live! 

This doesn’t mean we always know what God is accomplishing through a trial or difficulty in our life. Honestly, I don’t really think we ever now. We don’t need to know what God is trying to accomplish in our life. We don’t have to know why we are going through this difficulty. We trust Him. We know that He is our God and we are His people. We know that He is in control and He is good. We know that he is using this somehow for our benefit. So, we trust him, we rejoice, and we see ourselves as blessed.

Then we keep on living the Christian life. That’s what Peter says. At the end of verse nineteen he says, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:19, ESV). While we are entrusting our souls to our faithful Creator, we keep on doing good—which means we keep living the Christian life. We keep following Christ, even when it leads us into trials and difficulties. We keep trusting Him and living the way He’s called us to live. 

One the one hand, that means living the Christian life unashamed. Peter says, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed…” (1 Peter 4:16, ESV). There’s a temptation to be ashamed of your faith in the midst of suffering. Especially if you’re being mocked and insulted for your faith. Especially if people are calling you a fool. A sense of shame can creep up in you about being a follower of Christ. 

Yet, it can also happen when we’re suffering for other reasons. When we find ourselves in difficult times—and everything seems to be going wrong—we can begin to feel a sense of shame about our faith. We can find ourselves looking around, hoping that nobody notices that God hasn’t protected you from this trial. We can feel ashamed that we’re struggling and others are not. We can feel ashamed that people may begin to think our God isn’t strong enough to rescue us. 

Peter says, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” (1 Peter 4:16, ESV). Yet, Peter reminds us that we shouldn’t feel ashamed when we find ourselves in the midst of trials and difficulties. We shouldn’t feel ashamed when people mock us or insult us because of our faith. Instead, he says we should glorify God all the more! We should lift God’s name up as supremely valuable in the midst of mocking and difficulties. 

In reality, it’s in these times when people begin to truly see the beauty and power and glory of God. It’s when Christians glorify God in the midst of their suffering, that the world begins to take notice. When Christians are suffering and struggling and losing everything, yet they are rejoicing and praising their God, THAT’s when the world begins to take notice and say, “Somethings different here.” When Christians are being mocked and insulted by the world and called fools, yet they consider themselves blessed and keep trusting their Creator and following Him, THAT’s when the world takes notice. 

It’s in these times of trial and difficulty that God ends up being glorified the most in our lives. It’s when everything is stripped away from us, every convenience and every comfort, and yet we still rejoice and say, “Our God is good and glorious and faithful. I trust Him and He is more than enough for me.” That’s when the world begins to see our God in his true glory.