Strength in Suffering – May 17, 2026

One key truth: The risen Jesus gives us strength as he carries us through suffering.

Dear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery trial that is happening among you to test you, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead rejoice whenever you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. …
Therefore humble yourselves under God’s powerful hand so that he may lift you up at the appointed time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Have sound judgment. Be alert. Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him by being firm in the faith. You know that the same kinds of sufferings are being laid on your brotherhood all over the world. After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:12-13; 5:6-11 EHV

Strength in Suffering

When life gets hard, it can hit harder than you expected. Maybe it’s stress. Maybe it’s drama with friends. Maybe it’s something at home no one else really sees. And when that happens, the questions show up fast. Why is this happening? Did God forget about me? Does he even care? Your heart is searching for something steady, something that will not move when everything else feels uncertain.

Those are real questions. Peter understood that kind of fear. He knew what it felt like to fail hard. He knew what it felt like to be afraid. He had denied Jesus—three times. At one of the worst moments of his life, Peter completely fell apart. But Jesus didn’t walk away from him. After rising from the dead, Jesus came back for Peter, forgave him, restored him, and gave him purpose again.

Peter never forgot that. So when Peter writes to Christians who are hurting, he’s not giving shallow advice. He knows what it feels like to be weak. He knows what fear feels like. And he knows what Jesus does with people who fall apart. He forgives and shows them mercy.

That’s why he urges you to place yourself under God’s mighty hand. In other words, to let God’s strength hold you when your own strength is gone. When your thoughts spiral, he tells you to throw your anxiety on him—not because your problems are small, but because his care for you is bigger. And how do you know he really cares? Look at Jesus. Jesus entered into suffering for you. He carried your sin. He took your guilt. He died your death. And then he rose again. That means your pain is never proof that God has left you. The cross proves he came near. The resurrection proves suffering does not get the final word.

That doesn’t mean suffering is easy. Peter says the devil is like a roaring lion—loud, threatening, and always looking for fear to feed on. He wants suffering to turn into doubt. He wants pain to make you think God is absent. He wants fear to pull your eyes off Jesus.

But Jesus has not lost sight of you. You are not the only one struggling. Christians all over the world carry pain, stress, fear, and pressure too. And they are being held by the same Savior who is holding you. You are not weak for struggling. You are not alone in it either.

Peter closes with words that steady your heart. The God of all grace will lift you up and make you firm again. He will strengthen your faith and steady your steps. Because your Savior lives, every trial rests within his care. His promise will not fail. He will carry you through and bring you safely into glory.

Prayer:

God of grace, keep me firm when trials come. Remind me that Christ lives and that his care holds me secure. Restore me when I stumble, and lead me until the day I share in his glory. Amen.