This post is part of a 40-Day Prayer Journey through the season of Lent. Click here to learn more and read other posts in the series.
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).
What does it mean to “glory in our sufferings” as Christians?
I think of the victor in the arena, battered, bruised, and even bloodied by the bout he just endured—but still standing on his own two feet as the crowd roars with thunderous applause.
The victor certainly suffered greatly, but something incredible came out of that, something glorious, something that put the suffering into perspective and made it all worth it in the end.
We know what suffering as Christians in this sin-darkened world does.
As we live according to God’s will for us, that means saying no to a lot of things in this world—no to the sinful desires in our hearts; no to the urging of coworkers, friends, and family who don’t believe the same things we do. And that means we must also deal with the consequences of saying no, whether that’s not getting invited out with coworkers or friends after hours or the relationships that may be affected and changed, even broken altogether.
But that’s not all that suffering does. It also produces perseverance. Perseverance to stand firm as God’s children, to live according to his will for our lives, and to walk in his Word, following in our Savior’s footsteps.
That perseverance builds character that other people witness. They see how we live, how we act—and how incredibly different that is from the world around us.
That changes the way we look at suffering too, doesn’t it? How we live as Christians in this world has an impact on other Christians, to encourage and strengthen them in their walk with Jesus. How we live also has an impact on those who don’t yet know their Savior Jesus.
All of that works together to produce hope—hope that does not put us to shame because our hope and confidence aren’t in ourselves. If they were, our hope and confidence would be shaky, unstable things. And we certainly couldn’t stand on our own two feet as we face suffering. We falter and fall into sin in our efforts to avoid suffering at times.
No, our hope and confidence are in our loving, faithful God, who poured out his love in our hearts, whose love now shapes our very lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.
God directs our attention in his Word and sacraments to our suffering Savior, who lived perfectly in our place, died the death we deserve for our sins, and rose triumphant from the grave to win heaven for us and to grant us new life in his name.
As I think of what it means to glory in sufferings as a Christian, I think of Jesus’ words to his disciples on the night he was betrayed: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
As we suffer and experience troubles for living as God’s children, we can glory in those things because that’s exactly what Jesus said would happen to us as his followers.
In those moments, we can look past the suffering with our eyes fixed on the one who overcame the world for us. We stand because of him. Our hope is in him.
Today as you pray, ask that God would grant perseverance and strength to those suffering as Christians and enduring trials because of him. Ask that God would direct their attention to the one who overcame the world for them. Ask that God would use you and other Christians to encourage one another in our walk with Jesus through life.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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