Faith in Christ doesn’t prevent suffering; sometimes it invites it. That’s why Peter, the pastor, wrote his letter to the Christians who needed a place to “cast their cares” and be reminded that victory was theirs (1 Peter 5:7 KJV). Twenty years earlier, Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit, faced a group of men full of hate. He was stoned to death. The great persecution of Christians had begun (Acts 8:1). The followers of Jesus ran for their lives. They dispersed throughout all Roman provinces, but they didn’t outrun what Stephen endured; persecution and suffering found them.

Persecution and suffering always seem to find us too—we can’t outrun them or hide either. From the days of the early apostles all the way to today, believers have faced pressure ranging from minor discrimination to murderous rage. We may not know what kind of suffering we will get in this life, but we do know that because we are loved by God, He gives us victory in our suffering. When you are insulted or isolated or ignored because of your faith, you have victory because “the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:14).

When you face devastating loss, you still have victory because you have a “priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1:4 NLT). And ultimately, when you face death, you have victory because you have “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1:3).

God’s love doesn’t always keep suffering from us, but His love keeps suffering from destroying us. So if you feel pressure or persecution today because of your faith in Christ, cast all your anxiety on the God who loves you, because He really does care (5:7). Ask God today to remind you that you don’t fight for a position of victory; you fight from a position of victory because of Christ. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (3:18).