Weekly Devotional: Joy in the Midst of Suffering in the World

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (1 Peter 1:6)

Nowadays, devastation seems to strike every day. We open our social media accounts every morning to be bombarded with news stories of war, death and tragedy. At times, it seems our world is falling apart.

It is true. We live in a fallen world where bad things do happen. People get cancer, friends die, children get sold into slavery and natural disasters leave communities in shambles. With all this suffering in the world, where is God?

Many people use the trials of the world to justify their disbelief in God. They claim there cannot possibly be an all-loving God out there if there is so much evil in the world on a daily basis. It is easy to see why people doubt, but the thing is, this is still God’s plan. Really. Our world is sinful, and God hates sin, but everything that happens in our world is for His overall good – even the bad things. The travesties in the world are no mistake because our God doesn’t make mistakes. While our limited human view of things cannot comprehend this plan, God knows what He is doing and promises joy.

1 Peter 1:6 makes such a sweet promise. God knows how the tragedies of the world affect us – both the problems of our nation and the personal struggles we deal with. He knows our grief and He promises joy. The pain will only last “a little while.”

We can take incredible comfort in knowing that this pain is not forever. Romans 8:18 explains it further: “The pain that you’ve been feeling cannot compare to the joy that is coming.” The agony of our world and the grief of our personal lives are eventually going to come to an end. This time on Earth is hard, but God has a perfect plan that will end in incomprehensible joy.

So trust in God’s plan and hold on – the joy is coming.

Grand Canyon University trusts God in all situations. If you would like to learn more about GCU’s Christian identity and heritage, visit our website or contact us using the Request More Information button on this page.

About Department of Spiritual Life

Engage with Grand Canyon University's (GCU) vibrant Spiritual Life community and take a deeper look at the various ministries that are happening around the world, in your backyard and on our campus. We hope that God will challenge and encourage you through His words and the stories about His people that inspire us all.