Y’all, I’m all about 1 Peter these days. Something special stood out to me today as I focused on 1 Peter 1:6.

“You rejoice in this, even though now for a time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials.”

You rejoice 👉 present tense

Even though now 👉 present tense 👈 you suffer grief

The “in this” that Peter is saying we rejoice in refers to our salvation which he describes in the previous verse. Do you see it? Because of the hope we have in Christ, our inheritance that is being kept for us, and the promise of the resurrection – there will always be present tense joy even when there is also present tense grief.

Think of Job being told that all of his children are gone and instantly tearing his robe and shaving his head [signs of great mourning] and simultaneously falling to his knees in worship (Job 1:20.) Present tense mourning mingling with present tense worship.

Don’t feel guilty if you find moments of joy in the midst of grief. And don’t feel ashamed for experiencing grief as if it means you’re ungrateful for the joyful aspects of your life. The two – joy and grief – often coexist.

#mourning #joy #bible #biblestudy #biblescripture #intheword #1peter #encouragementfortheexile #god