“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Peter 1:3, ESV)
We are talking about hope this week. It is the first week of Advent. We lit one candle on the Advent wreath yesterday. It was only one candle. It was a start. It was not too spectacular to see just one candle burning. But it was a glimpse of what is to come. The hope is that the appearance of the Advent wreath will become more brilliant as we light more candles, pointing us to the glory of the Savior born in Bethlehem.
As we think about hope, there may be no section of Scripture that is more synonymous with hope than 1 Peter 1:3-7. 1 Peter was written to Christians who were facing persecution and martyrdom. Peter talks about the reason they have for hope in spite of their desperate situation. This week we will be looking at this section of Scripture in greater detail.
Peter starts by saying “Blessed be!” It may not be the thing we would expect to hear if we are looking for hope. We might start off by saying “bless me.” But Peter had a different perspective. He says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be his name. Some days the sun shines down, and other days the storm clouds gather. Still, blessed be the name of the Lord. We praise because we know we have already been given more than we can ask. We may certainly still endure trials, but we can endure anything because – as believers – we have hope!
A Christian’s life is one that is filled with praise and worship. We breathe in the breath that God gives to us, and we exhale praise and glory to Lord and Savior. As we put to death earthly passions and desires our hope becomes less dependent upon the circumstances of our life, and more secure in Christ.
I know that God loves me. But I trust God to answer my prayers better than I can ask. I may not always understand his answer. But I will praise him before the storm, during the storm, through the storm, and after the storm.
Reflection
- What gives you the ability to praise God in difficult times?
- Have you ever been glad that God did not answer your prayer in the way you hoped?
Prayer
Blessed be your name! You are Lord. You are Creator. You are Savior. Everything I have is given by you. You are the reason I live. You are the reason my hope is secure. I will praise you, Lord, every day of my life. Amen.
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