In the midst of difficult circumstances, it’s easy for me to believe I’m the only one in distress. But Peter reminded his audience, suffering simply for following Jesus, that they were not alone.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.

I suffer very little for my faith, but I’ve met believers enduring intense hardships. Some face the threat of arrest, while others experience blackballing from jobs or ostracization from family. All who follow Jesus deal with misunderstandings and side-ways glances as we adhere to the ways of the Lord rather than popular mantras.

Peter reminds us to remain vigilant and sensible. Resist the ways of the evil one, and cast our anxiety on the Lord. Then he concludes: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

You and I are not alone. Stay strong and keep the faith.

1 Peter 5 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor

The book of Lamentations was written during the fall of Jerusalem and exile to Babylon. The people of Israel suffered due to years of thumbing their noses at God. A two year siege led to starvation and ended in massacre. Jeremiah wrote, My groans are many and my heart is faint.

Amazingly, despite the horror, Jeremiah refused to relinquish his faith.

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

In the midst of a life we would all try to avoid, Jeremiah found hope in the love of God. Reading the accounts of this period in the Old Testament, I’m not sure how he did it. His situation, and that of his people, was horrible But somehow, in the darkness of calamity, Jeremiah discovered a ray of light.

At times my groans are many and my heart is faint. So I find hope in Jeremiah’s story. Like the rising of the sun, the Lord’s compassions are indeed fresh every morning. Jeremiah concluded, I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

I can wait as well.

Lamentations 2 & 3 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by eberhard 🖐 grossgasteiger

As a kid I heard the old hymn, Bringing in the Sheaves, and wondered what a sheave might be? At first I thought we were singing about sheep, but then I heard a line about the harvest, so I guessed the tune referred to picking apples or something. Lyrics over the head of a boy who ate bread from the grocery store.

Several years later I watched Romanian peasants piling hay into sheaves. They reaped a bountiful harvest on their hillside farms, and stacked their crop in this old-fashioned way.

The phrase originates in Psalm 126. The poem praises God for restoring the people of Israel after their exile to Babylon. They returned to their land with delight and laughter, praising God for the great recovery. The psalmist wrote:

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seeds to sow, will return with songs of joy, bringing sheaves with them.

Sow in tears, reap with joy. It’s a wonderful promise, one fulfilled by our Father again and again. Sheaves of grace come to those who wait. Today I might be in a time of tears, but the Lord produces magnificent harvests from seeds of despair.

Psalm 126 in Through the Bible in 2024

Wheatsheaves in a Field (1885) by Vincent van Gogh

Over the last couple of years I conducted research on the topic of Telling Your Story. Specifically, helping professors and graduate students communicate their story of faith in light of their field of discipline. Why did a biologist decide to follow Jesus? How does the study of economics undergird belief? What helps an expert in the field of artificial intelligence see the Lord more clearly?

As you might guess, those in academic fields hold fascinating stories of faith. Many students wonder why their professor, a man or woman dedicated to research and deep learning (in other words, a really smart person) would choose to surrender their life to Jesus? Students are desperate for answers, and instructors who explain their story of faith often find willing listeners.

Peter encouraged all those who follow Jesus to be ready to tell their story. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Our stories matter. I might think my story of coming to faith in Jesus is boring or not dramatic enough. No sex, drugs or rock and roll were involved. But explaining how the God of the Universe revealed himself carries no hint of bland. Like snowflakes, every story is unique, and every account points to the unmatched grace of God. Don’t be afraid to tell your story—someone around you needs to hear it.

1 Peter 3 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez