When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23
How did Jesus endure all that He suffered? How did He stay on that cross? People were shouting for Him to come down. What made Him stay there?
When Jesus was surrounded by darkness, He put His faith in the ultimate triumph of God. He “continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” That’s faith, and when Jesus did this, He was “leaving you an example” (2:21). That’s what Peter tells us.
In other words, this is what we need to do when we are suffering—we need to entrust ourselves to Him who judges justly. We need to learn from Christ how we are to suffer. Think about this: The grace of God can advance in your life through a difficult marriage, rebellious children, sickness, a financial loss, even through the loss of your reputation. God will use the hardest things in your life to display His gems of grace and make you like Christ.
Archibald Alexander says, “For your more rapid growth in grace, some of you will be cast into the furnace of affliction. Sickness, bereavement, bad conduct of children and relatives, loss of property or of reputation may come upon you unexpectedly and press heavily on you. Be more eager to have your affliction sanctified than removed.” Let it be more important to you that Christ use this affliction to make you more like Him, than to get through to the other side.
What afflictions are you facing right now?
