How do we prepare for suffering and persecution? Consider how you would train for lifting weights – you would start with small weights and increase from there. In the same way, God desires to train us in the small things. The best preparation for rejoicing in the bigger tests and trials in life is by rejoicing in our day-to-day lives. By rejoicing everything right now, we will be prepared to rejoice when faced with greater trials. 

To rejoice in suffering and persecution is not a natural response to us. But the good news is, this response is natural to Jesus! This is the way He responds, and this is how He will respond through us if we allow Him to. When trials come, God calls us to step into Jesus’ supernatural response and respond with rejoicing. In this, our display of joy in trials is how we can showcase Jesus’s life to the world!