Joy That Wins: Yet Will I Praise Him

I called us to grow an attitude of joy that wins, not a mood that wobbles. We opened 1 Peter to see scattered believers facing harassment and loss, and yet Peter commands them to greatly rejoice while they grieve various trials. That’s not denial; that’s discipleship. Trials prove the genuineness of faith, the way fire proves gold, and the outcome is praise, glory, and honor to Jesus. I reminded us there are at least two kinds of trials: some we cause through disobedience and must endure with patient repentance until righteousness is formed in us; and some we face precisely because we belong to Christ, where our loyalty is refined and our witness brightens.

We pushed back on circumstantial faith. Joy in Scripture is chara—a deep, settled, God-given gladness rooted in spiritual reality, not in favorable conditions. It’s the cheerful heart that comes from knowing all is well between us and the Lord, even when not all is well around us. That’s why Psalm 100 calls us to serve the Lord with gladness apart from circumstances, and why Habakkuk vows, even with empty fields and bare stalls, yet I will rejoice. Biblical hope—tikvah—is like a cord that binds us to God. Whether the fire is quenched today or not, we are held. That’s Daniel’s posture: if He delivers, He delivers; if not, He is still worthy.

I urged us to stop isolating, stop letting batteries drain when pressure rises. Stand. Stay charged in worship, Scripture, and community. Don’t waste your trial. Let it produce perseverance, prayer, and a clearer witness. Ask, what is this teaching me? Where is praise, glory, and honor to Jesus emerging from this very place? Joy is not fragile, not naïve, not performative. It is the Spirit’s gift that abides as we abide in Christ, a tethered gladness that carries us through the lion’s den, through the waiting room, through the long obedience when outcomes are uncertain. So we practice the “yet”—yet will I praise You, yet will I trust You—and we become a people whose joy outlasts the fire.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Joy that wins in trials Joy is not the absence of grief; it’s the presence of a deeper certainty. Peter commands rejoicing while acknowledging real sorrow, because tested faith yields praise, glory, and honor to Jesus. Choosing joy in affliction is an act of allegiance that says Christ is worthy now, not only when circumstances cooperate. That stance turns our pain into a platform for worship. [09:56]
• 2. Two kinds of trials, two responses Discernment matters. When trials arise from our own choices, we submit to discipline with patience until righteousness is formed. When trials come because we belong to Jesus, we stand, refuse isolation, and let fidelity be proven in the open. Both paths are formative, but each calls for a distinct, biblical response. [08:10]
• 3. Hope binds us to God Biblical hope (tikvah) is a cord—a binding that tethers us to God’s character, not to our preferred outcomes. That tether enables a Daniel-like resolve: if He saves, He saves; if not, He remains good. Hope holds our worship steady when answers are delayed, and joy flows from being held, not from getting our way. [25:43]
• 4. Reject circumstantial, Americanized faith If our faith only works in comfort, it isn’t biblical faith. The joy Scripture describes travels across borders and seasons—fullness or lack, acclaim or hostility—and keeps serving the Lord with gladness. Practice habits that transcend outcomes: praise, obedience, generosity, and prayer. Such rootedness produces durable joy anywhere God sends us. [17:24]
• 5. Don’t waste your trial Trials are seedbeds for perseverance, wisdom, and compassion if we engage them with God. Ask what the present pressure is producing in you and through you, and partner with the Spirit to draw out fruit. Intentionally praise in the middle, not just after it’s over, and you’ll find joy growing deeper than the circumstance. [29:33]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:15] - Stand firm in tough days
• [04:21] - 1 Peter: joy amid persecution
• [07:07] - Trials prove genuine faith
• [08:10] - Two kinds of trials explained
• [09:56] - Refined like gold; outcomes
• [12:52] - Daniel’s witness under pressure
• [17:24] - Debunk circumstantial, Americanized faith
• [20:57] - Joy defined: chara, not feelings
• [23:06] - Serve the Lord with gladness
• [25:43] - Hope as tikvah—bound to God
• [27:50] - Four truths: joy that wins
• [31:34] - Facing the Giants and testimony
• [38:37] - Habakkuk’s yet praise and response

1. In 1 Peter 1:6–8, what two realities are held together at the same time, and which words in the text show both?
2. According to 1 Peter 1:7, what is the stated purpose and outcome of “various trials”? How does Peter trace the path from testing to “praise, glory, and honor”?
3. What two kinds of trials were named: those caused by disobedience and those faced because we belong to Christ? How were the responses different for each? “There are two trials…trials that we cause…[and] sometimes we go through things because we are just flat out born again believers” ([08:10]).
4. How was biblical joy defined? “Joy is the deep down sense of well-being that abides…who knows all is well between [them] and the Lord” ([20:57]).

1. Why does Peter call believers to “greatly rejoice” while also acknowledging “you…suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6)? What does this reveal about Christian joy not being denial but discipleship?
2. What does it practically look like when a tested faith results in “praise, glory, and honor” to Jesus (1 Peter 1:7)? In what ways can suffering become a platform for worship rather than just something to escape?
3. How should a believer discern whether a current hardship is corrective discipline from disobedience or refining because of loyalty to Jesus? What different heart-postures and practices fit each path? “There are two trials…trials that we cause…[and] sometimes we go through things because we are…believers” ([08:10]).
4. If biblical hope (tikvah) is a binding cord to God, not to preferred outcomes, how does that reshape expectations and prayers when the outcome is uncertain? “If he bring us out…he can. But if he don’t…[he’s] still good” ([25:43]).

1. Think of one trial you are in or just came through. Using 1 Peter 1:6–8, which kind might it be—corrective or refining for witness? What specific fruit do you sense God aiming to produce in you through it? “There are two trials…trials that we cause…[and] sometimes we go through things because we are…believers” ([08:10]).
2. When pressure hits, where do you tend to “dwindle” or isolate? What concrete plan will help you “stay charged”—one worship habit, one Scripture rhythm, one community touchpoint—you will practice this week? “Stay charged up. Keep your faith charged” ([17:24]).
3. Write a one-sentence “yet” confession for your situation (e.g., “Though the result is delayed, yet will I praise you”). Read it aloud to the group. Will you speak it each day this week? “Yet will I praise him…Yet will I be joyful in him” ([38:37]).
4. Joy is anchored in Christ, not in outcomes. What is one practical step to abide in Jesus this week—morning Scripture, a midday breath prayer, a worship walk, or turning off one distraction? “Joy does not come from circumstances. It comes from abiding in Jesus” ([29:33]).
5. How could your present pressure become a platform for “praise, glory, and honor” to Jesus? Name one person who needs to see steady worship in you right now and one way you’ll witness to Christ this week. “It results in…praise…glory…and honor…to Jesus Christ” ([09:56]).
6. Don’t waste your trial. What new practice will you add in the middle of it—persevering prayer, confession and repentance, intentional gratitude, or serving someone else in need? When will you start? “Consider it pure joy…because…testing…will…produce…Don’t waste your trial” ([29:33]).
7. Reject circumstantial faith. What comfort or condition tends to control your mood? Which habit that transcends outcomes—praise, obedience, generosity, or prayer—will you practice no matter how this week goes? “Serve the Lord with gladness…apart from circumstances” ([23:06]).