Do you have hope? Hope is a powerful force. It can give us strength to push through trials, endure suffering, and overcome hardships. Hope can ground us even in the darkest of days. When nothing seems to be as it should be, where is your hope? What is it that you look forward to that keeps you going even when everything seems hopeless?
The Christians Peter wrote to in his letters were going through such a dark time. They were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. In the midst of that persecution, Peter wanted to remind them that they had an overwhelming hope, the hope of eternal life on the new earth in perfect fellowship with Jesus Christ.
To the world, suffering with joy makes no sense because the world does not possess a hope that is focused outside of the boundaries of this sinful world. Peter knew that when believers cling to their hope, they exude a joy through their suffering that baffles even their persecutors, and, as a result, opportunities are opened to share the good news of salvation with the lost.
Peter wanted these Christians, and all those who would follow Christ in the future, to know that they were responsible for being prepared with a defense for their hope to the world. Peter wanted them to be able to articulate the reason for their hope because he understood that only the truth of the Gospel could bring joy in suffering, hope in hardship, and confidence in a future reward that transcends even the darkest night on this fallen earth.