… being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ… (Philippians 1:6 NKJV)

When the clouds of suffering, struggle and sorrow are heavy above us, from our perspective God often seems distant. And though our hearts are confident in Him, our flesh tempts us to wonder and doubt whether He still sees us and hears our cries even though we cannot seem to see Him or hear His voice.

The Philippian believers would know suffering, struggle and sorrow. In fact, Paul tells them: For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake… (29)

We, too, will know suffering, struggle and sorrow. But such does not deny our belief in Christ, but rather confirms and strengthens it as we embrace our circumstances for His sake.

Indeed our confidence that God will complete what He has begun in us has nothing to do with our circumstance.

It has to do with God. He called us. He saved us. He secures us. He sanctifies us. He will glorify us.

It has to do with the Gospel (5). Jesus died in our place for our sins that we might be forgiven, justified and reconciled to the Father. What He did for us will not be wasted in us.

It has to do with grace (7). The gift of the Gospel has been freely shared with us by the Father through the Son. We did nothing to merit it. And we live for Him, and yes even suffer for Him, not to retain it, but because we’ve been given it.

So while we will suffer, struggle and sorrow, God will not fail. He sees. He hears. He will complete what He has begun in us. Of this we can be confident.