Knocked Down, But NEVER Knocked Out
As you will hear in this PODCAST, Peter will write this extraordinary sentence:
“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)
Trials, I will remind you, that cost Peter’s readers everything.
How did they do it? How was it possible for them—How is it possible for us?—to rejoice when they/we are experiencing the crushing weight of heavy-hearted emotion?
You are only 45 minutes away from knowing the answer.
Now, when we are talking about heavy hearted emotions, aka depression, in the life of a Christian Believer, the Bible clearly says that it is not only par for our life course, but even a blessing from God. If for no other reason, it is because we are not and do not feel at home here on earth, in that we look forward to our eternal home in heaven with God.
As we mentioned last week, the Bible is a book of beautiful balance, revealing that we can be greatly rejoicing while simultaneously suffering under a load of heavy-hearted grief.
How is this so?
Well, first, grief is an emotion. Albeit a deep, personal emotion, it is still just an emotion.
However, rejoicing is a choice – a matter of the will more than of the heart.
Therefore, we can truly feel our heavy grief, yet still choose to praise God and rejoice in our grief.
This week, we take a look at the times when Peter and Paul were emotionally burdened beyond belief – to their breaking points, yet chose to rejoice in God’s blessings… and how we, too, can get back up after life knocks us down!