You made it! The half-way mark on the 7-Day Prayer Challenge!

DAy 4 Challenge – Cling to Christ

1. Read the Excerpt 
   Let this content remind you that Jesus asks us to come to Him, to lean on Him.
2. Redefine Crisis
   Accept suffering as part of God’s refining work, producing perseverance, courage, and Christlike character.
3. Run It to Him
   Be quick to bring your grief to God and experience His comfort for every hurt.

COURAGEOUS FAITH IN CRISIS AND SUFFERING

written by Katie Laitkep

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ”
–1 Peter 1:6–7 

What is the earliest moment you remember? When you think back to your first few years of life, can you picture the face of a family member smiling down on you, the way the sky looked from your stroller, or the bright lights of a particular room? Maybe it was a darker moment that imprinted itself on your heart and mind from an early age, a jarring image or sound that shook your memory awake.

I remember being three years old, pulling on blue gloves and a gown, and visiting my newborn twin brothers, who were wrapped in wires in the NICU. It wasn’t until decades later, when I began undergoing medical treatment as a teenager and then began working as a hospital teacher in a pediatric unit, that I realized how suffering had framed my whole life.

We think we can protect younger generations from painful moments. We try to keep childhood unmarked by sorrow, but the reality is that by the time young people reach adulthood, many are carrying the weight of family conflict, the implications of diagnoses, the uncertainty of global crises they don’t understand, and other difficult situations.

The next generation’s faith is being forged in real time, as they encounter sin and suffering from their own front-row seat. They face the temptation to rewrite their beliefs about God based on how they view any given situation. They see bad things happen and assume that God can’t be good. When life feels unfair, they assume God must be as well. They explicitly ask the same questions many of us do in the midst of suffering: Why is this happening? Where is God? If He allows all of this to happen, can I really trust Him?

The answers to those questions matter, and when the younger generation sees the truth of who God is—when they experience His faithfulness, His presence, and His promises—it lays a foundation they’re able to fall back on the rest of their lives. Their glimpses of God, knowing He’s with them in the fire, helps to ground them in hope, shape their character, and grow faith that will remain when future crises come.

Faith Forged in the Fire

When suffering enters our lives, it’s often a painful surprise, but Jesus told His followers to expect it: “In the world you will have tribulation,” he said (John 16:33, emphasis added). At the same time, He didn’t leave them without hope. As He told the disciples, “I have said these things to you, so that in me you may have peace… take heart; I have overcome the world” (v. 33).

This verse helps answer some of the most profound questions that impact our faith during a crisis. Why does suffering happen? As believers, we are in Christ, but we also still live “in the world” (v. 33). We live in a world system with a real enemy who opposes the message of Jesus, and this side of heaven, we’ll continue to encounter the effects of sin and suffering.

Where is God? He is in the same place that He was when His own Son bore the weight of the world on the cross. He could have left us without a solution to the grief, pain, and crises of our day, but in His sovereignty and kindness, He sent Jesus, who has “overcome the world.” The victory we experience now in part, we’ll one day know in full.

If He allows all of this to happen, can I really trust Him? Where else would we go? Jesus promises, “In me you may have peace.” The Lord is not distant or silent; Jesus has gone before us in suffering so that He may walk with us. Our trust isn’t anchored in the absence of pain, but in Christ alone, who is making all things new.

This perspective is why the Apostle Peter was able to weave joy into his teachings on suffering. In 1 Peter 1:6-7, he reminds believers that trials, while painful, are not meaningless. His encouragement provides a framework for us to pray for the next generation as they face various trials.

Pray for them to:

– Rejoice in the living hope they have in Christ, which is theirs in all circumstances (v. 6).
– Remember trials are temporary and that eternity is nearer than they think (v. 6).
– Be quick to bring their grief to God and to experience His comfort for every hurt (v. 6).
– Own their faith personally and authentically, not merely claiming the beliefs of their parents or peers (v. 7).
– Cling to Christ when their faith is tested, responding with obedience and hope (v. 7).
– See the value of tested faith as more precious than anything the world offers (v. 7).
– Accept suffering as part of God’s refining work, which produces perseverance, courage, and Christlike character (v. 7).
– Reflect Jesus in the midst of their pain, allowing their tested faith to result in praise, glory, and honor to His name (v. 7).

It’s often through crises and suffering that a young believer moves from knowing about Jesus to knowing Him personally. In painful moments, they come to see that while having His gifts is good—gifts like health, comfort, and security—having Him is far, far greater.

May this be a generation whose faith in suffering proves that Jesus is near and that He is enough. As they walk through various trials in the days ahead, may they be found standing with what cannot be destroyed: genuine, courageous faith in Jesus, of greater worth than gold.

Click HERE for an audio prayer made to accompany this content.