This is the third word of encouragement to those who are suffering and facing hardships in life. It combines to some extent the first two – our great hope of glory, and the sense that God will accomplish His will for us. But, how can it be God’s will for us to suffer? If God is good how can His plans for us include hardship and even evil? The simple answer is that God, in His great Sovereign power, uses all things as a means to bring about His good purpose for us. But, that good purpose must be defined in His terms not ours. His ultimate good is that we come to be like Christ – to be imprinted with His glorious image and share in His glory. When we rightly understand God’s purpose, and evaluate what is good in light of His eternal plan, we can and must see that everything in life is used by God to produce Christ-like character in us.
