“You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”
These verses make me want to weep with joy. Here is Peter, someone who was very much aware of his privilege in personally knowing Jesus face-to-face, writing to those who did not get to share in that experience. You can feel his deep appreciation and admiration for those who love Jesus even without having ever met him. Just think about that for a minute. I love Jesus and I have never seen him in person. I ask myself why that is. How is that possible?
If we keep reading, Peter reminds us of the reason: we trust him. Because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, we very much do know him even though we have never met face-to-face. In fact, Jesus told Peter and the other disciples that it was better for him to leave earth and a physical body so that he could be personally present to everyone at once through the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus imprinted on our souls and we carry him in our minds. He talks to us and leads us, and carries us all the way to our salvation.
Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus is trustworthy. There are a lot of people who are not trustworthy, and maybe you’ve been hurt by some of them. Imagine the incredible peace and joy and love you would experience in relationship with someone who you knew would never betray you. Never lead you astray. Never abandon you. That is Jesus. We don’t need to see him in person to love him, because his work in our lives is clear. He knows what he’s doing.