So what are the trials you have had to suffer? What brings you grief? Everyone has their own. It has been that way ever since the Fall. And God knows about all this, including your trials and struggles.

1 Peter 1:6-9  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The “in this” at the beginning of this passage is referring to the certainty of our salvation because of what Jesus did for us. Peter just mentioned that in the previous verses. So we rejoice in our salvation even while we have grief and trials!  Is that the way it works in your life?

Again, what grief and trials do you experience? Only you can answer that. And you know the effect they have on your day to day life. It is easy to be consumed and overwhelmed by those things. That is precisely when you need to run back to Jesus and His promises. Latch onto Him in faith. Remember the sacrifice He made to rescue you from sin, death, the devil and all the evil this world throws at you. God tells you those trials and difficulties actually refine and strengthen your faith.

Did you notice that both “rejoice” and “joy” occur in this passage, even though Peter is talking about trials and grief? We would not normally associate those things with each other. That all changes when you put Jesus in the mix. Our faith in Him gives us joy in all situations and circumstances, because we have a steadfast certainty that we are the precious, redeemed and forgiven children of a loving Father. Peter is once again aligned with the Apostle Paul who wrote to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”

Faith is “of greater worth than gold” because it is able to give you what nothing in this world can: the salvation of your souls. Peter tells you that is the goal of your faith, but it is also the guaranteed outcome of faith in Jesus. How different that is from the message of so many “preachers” who mislead people to focus on the things this world has to offer!

Your confidence is not based on wealth in this world, on what you can accumulate, or even on your own abilities. Your faith is in the one who gave His all so that you could be forgiven. Your faith in is the one who laid aside His power as God so that He could live under the law for your sake. Your faith is in the one who suffered and bled and died in payment for your sins, giving you the certainty of life eternal. That is why you have joy in spite of the grief and trials you endure here for a little while.