His Best Work is in Our Darkest Hour

¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. ¹⁹ For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. ²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

²² “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 

²³ who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. – 1 Peter 2:18-25

While we don’t use the term servant and master in our society, they certainly do exist.  Those who are in authority are masters.  If you are a child, your parent is your master at home.  If you are a student, your teacher is your master in the classroom.  If you work, your boss is your master at work.  If you are a business owner, your clients are your master for your income.  All of this is relative, of course, to our local condition and not in relation to our position with God.  That is another discussion. 

The point in this Bible text is that if you are submissive and enduring wrongful suffering because you are mindful of God, this is commendable before God.  If you do no wrong, but are treated unjustly (think Cinderella), God recognizes this as it emulates the steps of Christ.  We, unfortunately, do not apply this to our daily lives.  Do you suffer patiently when someone cuts you off in traffic?  Do you slow down, offering a safe distance for driving while asking God to bless them in their urgent need?  …  So many people we see every day do not have the slightest consideration for anyone around them.  Shouldn’t we, as Christ followers, be different?  This is the message here.  …  Do you suffer patiently with the wrong that was committed to you?  Maybe it was abuse, abandonment, or an attack.  Do you slow down, thank God for bringing it into your life to develop your spiritual character and move you closer to God, and pray for God to use what is an obvious extension of His character in you to save the abuser, abandoner, or attacker? …  (This is the 2^nd most difficult paragraph I’ve ever written.  While I believe it is the Godly way, I do not know how to live there without the ever present Spirit of God obliterating me daily.  It is one of those things that I know is right, but am not sure I see how to live it.  It will require that 2^nd step of faith, the one that says “My only hope is in Christ.  If He doesn’t do it, it can’t be done.”)

Jesus committed no sin and did not speak against those who persecuted Him.  When He spoke in reference to them He simply asked God to forgive them.  Matt Ayers comments on this verse saying, “Jesus’ example reveals that it is in the greatest moment of injustice that God redeems the world.  It is in the darkest hours of human life that God is at His best in His redemptive work.  God is at His best in the Red Sea moments of life; the moments when it seems as if there’s no way out of our problems or troubles.”

Verse 21 says this is our calling.  Do you wonder what your calling is?  Every Christian has general and specific callings on their life.  One of the general callings is described here.  We are called to suffer like Christ suffered with regard to those who are harsh and hate.  Until Christ comes again, there will be hate in this world.  We are not to respond to hate with more hate.  We are to patiently endure as He endured and let God demonstrate who He is through us in such times.

How do we do this?  The simple answer is we can’t, but He can.  We have to have faith and put all our hope in Jesus to do in us what we accept that we can’t do.  We have to know that His best work is in our darkest hours.  If we could do it, then why would we need God?  He is ever present in our times of trouble and ever able to do what we can’t do.  Jesus committed Himself to God (vs 23) when persecuted, we are to follow His steps.