Commit Yourself
READ
Peter writes to Christians facing intense persecution, and his message might surprise you: don't be surprised by suffering. This isn't the prosperity gospel promising health, wealth, and happiness. This is the honest gospel that acknowledges following Jesus sometimes costs us everything—and calls us to faithfulness anyway.
Let’s take a moment to read 1 Peter 4:12-19:
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
REFLECT
The phrase "do not be surprised" is crucial for maintaining faithfulness. Much of our struggle comes from unrealistic expectations. We think suffering means we've done something wrong or that God has abandoned us. But Peter says suffering for following Christ is normal, not strange. When we expect ease and receive hardship, we lose faith. But when we expect trials and trust God through them, our faithfulness deepens.
Peter introduces a profound concept: participating in Christ's sufferings. When you suffer for doing good, for standing for truth, for following Jesus even when it's costly—you're joining Christ in His mission. Your suffering isn't random or meaningless; it's connected to Jesus's own suffering. This transforms how we view trials. We're not suffering alone; we're suffering with Christ, and He's suffering with us.
The promise of being "overjoyed when his glory is revealed" provides long-term perspective. Faithfulness isn't just about surviving today—it's about anticipating tomorrow. The glory that's coming so vastly outweighs present suffering that our current tears will become future joy. This future hope doesn't diminish present pain, but it does provide context and meaning for it.
Notice the conditional phrase: "those who suffer according to God's will." Not all suffering is redemptive. Some suffering comes from our own poor choices. Some comes from living in a broken world. But when we suffer because we're living faithfully—because we're doing good, following Christ, standing for truth—that suffering has purpose. It's according to God's will not because God enjoys our pain, but because He values our character more than our comfort.
Peter's instruction is simple but profound: commit yourselves to your faithful Creator and continue to do good. This is what faithfulness looks like practically. When trials come, don't retaliate. Don't grow bitter. Don't stop doing good. Instead, entrust yourself to God, who is faithful even when people aren't, and keep living righteously. This is the ability to continue following Jesus even when everything else tempts you to give up.
The word "commit" literally means to entrust or deposit for safekeeping—like putting something valuable in a secure place. When suffering comes, you have a choice: you can try to protect yourself, or you can entrust yourself to God's care. Faithfulness is choosing to deposit your life, your pain, your questions, your future into God's hands, trusting that He is faithful to keep what you've entrusted to Him.
This passage ends where it began—with God's faithfulness. Peter calls God "faithful Creator," reminding us that the One who created us is committed to completing what He started. Your Creator hasn't abandoned His creation. The hands that formed you are the same hands holding you through trials. This is the foundation on which faithfulness stands: not our ability to remain faithful, but God's unchanging faithfulness to us.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
How has expecting ease rather than trials affected your faithfulness, and what would change if you adjusted your expectations to align with Peter's teaching?
In what ways are you currently "participating in Christ's sufferings," and how does viewing your trials through this lens transform their meaning?
What does it practically look like for you to "commit yourself to your faithful Creator" in your current circumstances rather than trying to protect or defend yourself?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Faithful Creator, I entrust myself to Your care today. When suffering comes because I'm following You, help me see it not as strange but as participation in Christ's mission. Give me the courage to continue doing good even when it costs me. Anchor my hope in the glory that's coming, and may my faithfulness through present trials become a testimony to Your greater faithfulness to me. I deposit my life, my pain, and my future into Your faithful hands. Amen.