There is a false version of faith that lurks around our churches. Let us call it the 'Everything is fine' version. 'Everything is fine' faith puts the pressure on people to be happy and ignore the hurting; it suggests that tears and trust cannot go together. 'Everything is fine' faith is horrible.
Like the worst of lies, it contains elements of truth. The bereaved widow is told that Jesus has won the victory over death (TRUE) and therefore grieving is a lack of faith (FALSE). The young man with chronic pain is told that our 'light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all' (TRUE) so he should not struggle with his suffering (FALSE).
Do you recognise this hideous 'Everything is fine' faith? Does it lurk in your own heart, making you feel guilty when you don’t feel confident and joyful? Does this false faith get nurtured by the choice of songs in church services? Did this fake faith push you out of the church where people could not cope with honesty about suffering?
1 Peter gives something true and better. Faith that is 'Yes, but…' faith that looks squarely at the reality of suffering and says 'Yes, that is real and painful. I will not diminish it or pretend it away', and then ALSO says 'But here is something else that is real: the word of God.'
In the opening verses, the apostle Peter bursts into praise for the new birth, the living hope, an unfading inheritance and God’s powerful shield. 'In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials' (1:6).
He could have said 'you may have had to suffer all kinds of trials' but instead he writes of grief in all kinds of trials. Here is the honesty. Trials bring grief. Suffering causes grief. We grieve at the pain and the loss of the plans we made that have had to be abandoned; we grieve about those who turned their back on us because of our beliefs and we grieve at the persecution of those who are faithful. The reality of suffering is not minimised. Grief is not covered up in a thin veneer of 'everything is fine' fake faith.
True faith is 'Yes, but'. 'Yes' my health is broken and the change has disoriented me, 'but' my Lord is good and will make me strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:11). 'Yes' my friends wounded me deeply when they rejected me for my Christian convictions, 'but' when I am insulted, the Spirit of glory and of God rests on me (4:14). 'Yes' society may heap abuse on us when we do not join them in reckless, wild living, and 'Yes' it really is a fiery ordeal, 'but' living for the will of God is infinitely better, given that we all have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead (4:4, 4:12, 4:5).
So, if the insidious 'everything is fine' faith has infiltrated your mind, your heart or your church, now is the time to identify it and expel it. True faith does not pretend the problems are small; it does not minimise the grief. True faith says 'Yes… BUT!' Yes, we suffer grief in all kinds of trials, BUT the God of all grace has called you to his eternal glory in Christ. This is the true grace of God.
Stand fast in it.
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