Lord, let not our souls be busy inns that have no room for thee or thine, but quiet homes of prayer and praise, where thou mayest find fit company, where the needful cares of life are wisely ordered and put away, and wide, sweet spaces kept for thee; where holy thoughts pass up and down and fervent longings watch and wait thy coming.[1]
Unjust Suffering is Still Meaningful
1 Peter 3:13-22 NRSV
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be Godโs will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves youโnot as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
Augustine
If you love the good, you will suffer no loss, because whatever you may be deprived of in this world, you will never love God, who is the true good.[2]
Andreas
Once again, Peter exhorts us not to grieve over unjust suffering, if that is Godโs will for us. He teaches us that we suffer for the specific purpose of being trained for what we are meant to be according to the mercy of God.[3]
Hilary of Arles
Conscience Defined
Do not get angry or threaten anyone. Your conscience is the part of you which embraces what is good and which rejects evil. It is like the doorkeeper of a house which is open to friends and closed to enemies.[4]
Matthew Henry
The example of Christ is an argument for patience under sufferings. In the case of our Lordโs suffering, he that knew no sin, suffered instead of those who knew no righteousness. The blessed end and design of our Lordโs sufferings were to reconcile us to God and to bring us to eternal glory. He was put to death in respect of his human nature but was quickened and raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. If Christ could not be freed from sufferings, why should Christians think to be so? God takes exact notice of the means and advantages people in all ages have had. As to the old world, Christ sent his Spirit; gave warning by Noah. But though the patience of God waits long, it will cease at last.[5]
Warren Wiersbe
โSanctify Christ as Lordโ is the best translation of v. 15. Put Him on the throne of your heart. If He controls our lives, then we will always have an answer when people ask about the hope we have in Him. A surrendered heart and a good conscience will together give peace when people accuse us falsely. Sinners may accuse us, but God knows the heart; and we fear God, not men. Again, Peter reminds them of the sufferings of Christ, that He was falsely accused yet left the matter with His Father.[6]
Prudentius
Into hell, with love, he entered,
To him the broken gates yield.
The bolts and massive hinges fall asunder at his word.
Now the door of ready entrance,
But forbidding all return, outward swings.
Bars are loosened and send forth
The prisoned souls by reversal of the mandate,
Treading its threshold once more.[7]
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.[8]
Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended?
Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins, lest they get the dominion over me; so shall I be undefiled, and innocent of great offense. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in your sight, O Lแดสแด , my rock and my redeemer.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.[9]
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Julian of Norwich
[2] Ancient Christian Devotional Year A, p. 127.
[3] Ancient Christian Devotional Year A, p. 127.
[4] Ancient Christian Commentary Year A, p. 127.
[5] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henryโs Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), 1 Pe 3:14.
[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbeโs Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 748.
[7] Hymns 9.70-75. Ancient Christian Devotional Year A, p. 127.
[8] Collect for the sixth Sunday of Easter. Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019.
[9] Psalm 19:13-14 New Coverdale Psalter / Gloria Patri
