Speaker 0 00:00:01 This is Pastor Steve at Westside Church in Bend, Oregon. Throughout these 21 days, we will spend some time every day in prayer together. After today's episode, find more resources for you and your
[email protected] slash 21 days. Welcome to day 15. Jesus is our refuge in suffering. His sacrifice reminds us that we can have joy despite our trials. Peter wrote in one Peter chapter four, verses 12 through 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 in as much 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 mer.
Speaker 0 00:01:06 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. You know, of all the benefits that are ours in Christ, perhaps the most precious of his caring gifts is the sanctuary he offers to us in our suffering. He ministers to us, strengthens us even as our faith is tested and reminds us that we are not alone and God is at work. Jesus who suffered on the cross opened our eyes to joy, amids suffering, and with it a renewed capacity to endure. So let's pray. Father, we pray for family and friends who are far from you. For those who are suffering, we pray that they would experience the caring, love, protection, and comfort that only you can give without measure. Lord, we pray with great faith asking you to minister health, healing, peace, and your presence to the wounds that cause suffering in our community and in our lives. Lord, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ that wherever there is suffering, despair and struggle, that Jesus, you would give understanding, faith, hope, and ultimately bring deliverance. Amen.
