The Healing of Our Hurts - Pt 4

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:9-12 ESV).

Remember, the third principle in the healing of our hurts is to recognize that our suffering in this life reminds us we’re at war. Remember what Peter said: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). All the things that might tempt us to doubt God and his goodness are meant to lead us to him, and to prove that he’s engaged in a massive spiritual battle for our lives. A powerful, compelling, and creative enemy wants to kill you. Our reading today comes from this weathered veteran of the war of life. When we are disappointed or afflicted, God is shaking us out of our complacency and entitlement to awaken us to the realities of life deeper and more important than our circumstances. Peter reminds us of several things that ought to be foremost in our minds when we seek the comfort we need in the hurts of this life.  We are a chosen race. God did not leave our eternal destiny in the hands of chance. It is not by some serendipity that we have received the grace of God. He chose us.  We are a royal priesthood. It is one thing to be called upon to minister to others; it is quite another to be members of the kings priesthood who minister to his family. We are royalty just as he is, and as such, we have a relationship that goes far beyond a mere task.  We are a holy nation. Somehow this is lost on most Christians today. It is not the flag of our nation that we stand for; it is the emblem of our God and Savior that we stand under. That is our real banner calling us to war.  We are a people for His possession. We belong to God. As his people, now and forever, we cannot be a part of any other. This separation makes our decisions so much easier. We are at war. We should not forget that truth; however, we have the strongest leader possible. He cannot be defeated. In fact, the victory is already won. We go to battle knowing the final outcome. That gives us real hope and healing in our hurts! Our wounds are not eternal. They are merely temporary. Treat them like that.