The Lord Gives Hope
Lesson Three • The Promise to Return
Devotion 3: The Lord Gives Hope
Lorena Norris
Human beings have an insatiable need for hope. We quite literally build our lives around hope. We desire hope through a certain lifestyle, career, skill, and so on. In a world that often seems chaotic and unjust, we are driven to ask, “What is my hope truly in?”
The apostle Peter provides us with the answer in 1 Peter 1:3-5. He brings us to the death and resurrection of Jesus and what it means to have hope. Verse 3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” In verses 4 and 5, Peter goes on to describe an inheritance that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” This is our salvation and future in Heaven with Jesus! This inheritance can never be taken away because it is guarded by God’s power. It is hope that is secure, unchanging, and untouched by our earthly struggles.
While our hope remains untouchable, we are not. Life’s trials can feel like a furnace - burning, hurting, and sometimes consuming. As disciples, we are called to hold onto a hope that transforms how we endure fire. In verses 6 and 7, Peter invites us to see that this living hope in Jesus’ resurrection can lead us to joy in trials. He says, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This joy is not a superficial “turn that frown upside down” attitude but a deep-seated assurance rooted in Christ’s unchanging promise. Our hope in His act of love on the cross allows us to find joy that is not defined by our circumstances.
Present sorrow and suffering cannot rob us of our joy because they cannot take away our hope. Our hope is untouchable, kept, guarded, and anchored in the resurrection of Jesus, who faced all our sins and suffering for us. Jesus, who endured the ultimate trial, became what we are so we can become more like Him. This hope is secure not because of anything we have done but because of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf.
Suffering has a unique way of focusing our hearts on what truly matters. It compels us to confront our false hopes and identities, challenging us to consider whether we are relying on fleeting things or the living hope of Christ. It is a paradox: the fire is painful, but it is also a strange, unwelcome gift. It melts away our false hopes and reveals our true reliance on Jesus.
In your trials, will you let the fire refine you and expose false hopes and identities that you need to confront, or will you be crushed by the weight of your suffering? Let your hope in Jesus guide you through the flames and lead you to a joy that transforms the way you live and the way you walk through fire.