September 23, 2026
Today's Reading: Ephesians 3:13-21
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:1-21; 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2
“So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” (Ephesians 3:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The presence and actions of God in someone’s life are sometimes hard to understand. This is especially true during the more difficult times that everyone must face. In other words, faith can be challenged during times of suffering. This is why Paul writes the way he does in Ephesians. He is writing from prison, and the very fact that he is in trouble may have caused some Christians to have doubts about their own status before God. How could what Paul preached be true if he was suffering? How could Paul preach an all-powerful God if the authorities were able to put him into prison?
These kinds of questions are to be expected. We like to see a direct line between the circumstances of our lives and the truth of our faith. This is exactly how many present Christianity to others. They promise that once you become a Christian, all of life’s troubles will be in the rear-view mirror. Suffering is for unbelievers and sinners. Faith is the guarantee of a good life. The truth about suffering in the life of a Christian is far more complex than that, and there is no direct line between your faith and the circumstances of your life.
This is why Paul offers up the prayer that he does in our reading. God’s presence and actions in the lives of His people, even as His people suffer, are beyond human expectations or knowledge. What this means is that you can be going through a hard time and still be one of God’s people. Difficulties in life do not mean that the gospel is not true or that God has abandoned you. Faith is not something that helps you avoid hard times; faith is what helps you to endure them. Christ dwells in you, and that does not change because things are hard. Difficult times do not change the truth of your baptismal identity. Jesus is with you in good times and bad. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In suff’ring be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my power; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy side! (LSB 683:4)
Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Modesto, CA.
