September 13, 2026 - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART

Cheryl Zamora

Peter reminds believers that “for a little while we may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” Yet he immediately reframes those trials: they are not wasted, random, or cruel. They are the refining/testing fire God uses to reveal whether our faith is genuine.

Just as gold is heated until impurities rise to the surface, a Solemn Assembly which we are having this Sunday is a sacred space where the Lord invites us, His people to let the hidden things rise — not to shame us, but to cleanse us. Trials expose what we trust in. Solemn Assembly restores who we trust in.

Peter says these tested moments result in “praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” That is one of the aims of Solemn Assembly: a church purified, humbled, and strengthened so that Christ is more clearly seen among us.

So today, let our trials — past or present — become part of our worship. Let us offer them to God as the very places where He is refining/testing our faith. And let us step into Solemn Assembly with a heart ready to be searched, purified, and renewed.