As we see our lives play out, we spend much of our time trying to make sense of what we watch unfold. But wouldn’t you agree that your perspective on the interpretation of your life is limited? Despite our limited understanding, we still tend to poorly interpret our circumstances and come to believe that God is not good or that somehow God is not for us. What’s happening to me? What is He doing? How am I going to get through this? Sometimes, we go beyond the questions to sheer moments of doubt as we say to ourselves, “I don’t see how there’s any way that God could use this for my good.” It’s at this moment that cheap Christian clichés like “everything happens for a reason” just don’t satisfy the human soul. In that moment, only the depths of God’s word can shed light on the muddled interpretation you have made of your life’s circumstances.

The recipients of Peter’s first letter understood this. Though the events of their lives led them to believe that God was not with them or perhaps even against them, Peter pointed them to their exilic identity as Christians and His behind the scenes working in their lives. And Peter tells them, under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, that they may not belong here on this earth but they belong to God (1 Pet 1:1). They may not feel like they fit in to the world’s plans, but they fit in to God’s plans. Their lives were not afterthoughts, nor had God neglected them, despite what they were tempted to believe given their circumstances. While the trials in their lives seemed to be mounting up to an almost unbearable level, Peter pointed to the purpose behind them all. Not one trial you will ever face as a Christian will come without purpose and reason from God (1 Peter 1:6). You may not see the purpose, but we don’t trust in what we can see (2 Cor 4:18). We trust in the blood bought promises of Jesus Christ found in the Scriptures. And there we find that God uses trials to purify us and to build a proven faith that will stand up against all attacks while we await the reward (1 Peter 1:7).

The point is, don’t let your life speak louder than God’s word. Your life tells a story, and your mind will seek to interpret life’s circumstances in order to make sense out of your world. If you do not train your mind on God’s word, you will give in to the same hope-destroying lies the enemy has been propagating since the garden. Free yourself from the bondage of your own internal hermeneutic system and turn to the living and abiding word of God. Let God’s word reinterpret your story. Let God’s word inform your story. Allow God’s word to shape how you view the world, relationships, events, and everything else. This process can be as simple as expressing to yourself, “This is how I feel about my circumstances,” but “This is what God’s word says about my circumstances.” Counter the lies you will be tempted to believe with the truth. It will set you free. It’s what Jesus did.