Even though they were in the midst of deep suffering and persecution, the apostle Peter called on the people to bless the name of God. How could he do that? Didn’t he know they were suffering? How could he call them to praise and celebration in the midst of such pain? Isn’t that a bit insensitive?

Peter’s response to questions like these is founded in a story that is greater than any immediate story. He shares with the people that in Christ they have come into a new way of living, a way defined by the phrase, “a living hope” (I Peter 1:3). This living hope is rooted firmly in “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3).

An extraordinary thing has happened in human history and this “thing,” this “resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” sets into motion a reality of life so real that even in the midst of suffering and pain, there is a hope that trumps everything, and ignites a spirit of rejoicing even when one is “distressed by various trials” (I Pet. 1:6).

This life of faith in Jesus is dramatic and wonderful; it is like no other life in the world. It is life lived in all the moments given to us, but it is life invaded by the supernatural life of God in Jesus. We have a living hope that holds us steady in the arms of God, and a promise that there is still more to come.

Today we live in and for Jesus, seeking to allow His life to shape and form us into Christ-like persons. On this journey we “are protected by the power of God” (I Pet. 1:5). Nothing, in the words of the apostle Paul, can “separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:39).

Our lives are covered by grace, and we do not walk alone.