Part of the hurt was that many in that generation believed in a “God is on my side” theology, so defeat meant far more than just a military loss. Abraham Lincoln sought to dispel that understanding. In his address, he said to the fragile nation,

“Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither have been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”

Lincoln was President during a very troubled time – a time of deep suffering at every level of the American way of life. In reading the whole address, it is apparent that he stayed true to his convictions that the abolition of slavery was absolutely essential, but he was astute enough to realize that the pain of his beloved country was felt by all – not just by those who shared his convictions. He recognized that the people in the North and the South were reading the same Bible, worshiping the same God, and coming to very different conclusions.

I can look at Lincoln’s words 143 years later and see the profound vision that he had for the future as he concluded his speech saying, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

But I wonder, how were those heartfelt words heard – both by former slaves and by the conspirators of his death who were in the audience that day? Did Lincoln’s deep passion as a leader begin to make a difference in a nation that had split along such ragged lines? Were his words seeds planted that would take decades or perhaps centuries to take root?

I can’t really begin to answer those questions fully. When people are suffering deeply, words aren’t always adequate. Sometimes in our quest to be right, words lead us to more pain and less understanding than we had before. But other times, compassionate words do heal us. Lincoln’s words did not admonish people for looking to God and to scripture for aid – but encouraged the understanding that a truly just God is not a side-taker. God’s purposes are hidden from human understanding, and our perceptions of God’s will are just that – our perceptions. When we seek God’s attention, we are reminded that those who think and believe like we do are not the only ones whom God hears, and sometimes we may also hear from God that we have been wrong.

The Bible, as you may have guessed, does have multiple passages about human suffering and some of those are truly difficult to interpret. However, as the Christian church began its existence, clearly, it was persecuted, and clearly, its earliest disciples counsel believers not to retaliate in anger but to persevere in love. Peter speaks to Christians about suffering and reminds them that they will suffer trials and ordeals because of their convictions. Nothing strange or out of the ordinary is going on. We share in the suffering of Christ. Nevertheless, he counsels his parishioners that there’s also the kind of suffering that goes alongside of bad behavior as a consequence of our actions – lest we believe that all suffering is the same. Suffering because one is a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or simply a mischief maker is not the same as enduring the prowling around of the devil for doing what’s right.

In today’s day and age, maybe it’s not so easy to see what it would be like to suffer because of our faith. Suffering for us means losing love, death, or the various types of pain involved with being in human relationships. We rarely think about sharing in the suffering of Jesus. But we can learn from this passage that allowing suffering to be seen through the lenses of following Christ diminishes some of the other kinds of suffering that we find so painful. We become less whiny and more united when we can truly see that we are all in this human condition together. We can entrust ourselves to a faithful Creator, knowing that while we might not always be right, God will always be just.

To envision an end to human suffering, or to endure difficult situations as they come, it will take capable leadership. Lincoln is just one example of the kind of person that arises in times of crisis. Peter speaks directly to the leaders and elders who first receive this letter. He says, “Tend the flock of God that is in your charge. Exercise oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly. Do not lord it over those in your charge. Be a good example.” When a community is hurting, the leaders of that community are responsible for bringing about a new life together. They set the tone – whether that be one of fear or one of joy. It’s hard to stay joyful and loving when there’s grumbling and genuine stress, but time and again, God has called forth spiritual leadership to break the cycles of fear and mistrust.

Spiritual leadership differs from other models of leadership. Those who are the heroes and heroines of scriptural stories are often pushed into, or we usually like to say “are called” into a role they might not have otherwise taken. Though they sometimes have mistakes in their past or are simply unlikely leaders, they have to be confident in their convictions and convince others to go where they are going. They are not be swayed by the presence of pain in others or the threat of pain to themselves. And as Peter reminds any “would-be” spiritual leaders, they must be humble. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

As he concludes his letter, let me repeat his final charge, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever.”

This closing charge maintains its relevance in the Christian life right now. It’s strange to me sometimes to read scripture and have the words just jump right off the page and into my life. We are suffering – maybe not the same as in Peter’s time – maybe not the same as in Lincoln’s time – but there are times it seems that the next crisis is always encroaching on our doorstep. In the nation, in the Church (capital C), in this church in Oak Ridg, in my family, your family – times sometimes get tough. We feel as though one more tiny twig on our backs would break us. The pain of life becomes a burden. Scripture teaches that we can share our pain with Jesus who has felt our pain from the very beginning. There may be elders, teachers, friends who can lighten our burden. Clothed with humility we can begin to see that the pain that so often separates us into North and South, liberal and conservative, right and wrong is really the same pain of human life that holds us all together under God.

We read the same Bible, pray to the same God, and when we hurt, we hurt. We may never know how God is bringing about the good. God has God’s own purposes. Sometimes we only learn from hindsight after we’ve been through a whole lot of pain. As we grow through that pain, we may find we have the ability to help someone younger or less experienced do the same. Peter tells us that when we use those abilities, we use them to God’s glory. So after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever.

Amen.