// Covenant Family Church

Text: 1 Peter 4:12

Nobody really enjoys suffering.

Perhaps there are some wicked and perverse individuals who take delight in the sufferings of others, but even they do not like to personally suffer in their own body. The Apostle Peter, however, speaks of a radical new way of approaching suffering in this life when he actually urges his readers to be joyful about their sufferings!

Let me qualify this by pointing out that Peter does not endorse suffering in general as a way to have a great time. Instead, he says that to the degree you share in the sufferings of Christ you should be joyful.

This means that when you suffer persecution for the sake of Jesus Christ—for doing what Jesus has commanded, or refusing to do what Jesus has prohibited—then you can rightly rejoice that you are sharing in his sufferings.

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Text: Psalm 40

How does the Lord go about helping his people?

It has already been stated that the Lord helps his people in many ways that they don’t fully appreciate. Most importantly, the Lord helps us by bringing about our eternal salvation. We didn’t merit his favor by our good works, we didn’t deserve it because of our personal background, and we didn’t assist in bringing it about through our human efforts or individual decision.

Paul speaks directly to this truth in Romans 9:14-16 where he says, “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’. So then it depends not upon human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”

Thus, God’s saving activity is primary in the matter of salvation, and our human response is only secondary. The Lord helps us in many other ways as well. The second half of Psalm 40 enumerates these ways from David’s personal experience. Let us be thankful that the Lord is our divine helper, and let us give praise for his compassion and mercy.

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