1 Peter 1:8

“whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,” – 1:8

In verses six and seven, Peter has shown that for a little while we are grieved by various trials and the reason for it. Now he shows our response or focus during these trials.

“whom having not seen you love”  – no one living today has seen the risen Christ as He was when He ascended into the heavens. And yet, something about Him, and His story, invokes the deeps love response from us. John tells us that “we love Him, because He loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

“Though now you do not see Him” we have no visible evidence that He is with us during these trials in the “now”.

“yet believing” – however, we believe (Heb 12 – “Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.”) The context is we are going through various trials, we love Him, even though we don’t see Him, we still believe. This sounds just like what Jesus when through in the wilderness, and at Gethsemane.  Jesus was going through trails, he loved the Father, could not “see” Him, but still believed – “Not my will, but your will be done.”

“you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,” – in these trails, with no visible evidence that He is with us, our expression is that we “rejoice” with “joy” or cheerfulness, calm delight. Which is “inexpressible” or “unspeakable”! Reminds me of the idea that when something so amazing happens and someone is “lost for words”, this is how the Christian is when they are walking with Jesus, (by faith) through their trials. And if this is how they are when they have trials, what are they like when there are none? “full of glory” seems to suggest that we are “giving honor or praise” to God in these trials, because “we love Him”, because “He first loved us”

An application:

Father, help me to see YOU in the trails of life, and to see them for what they are, and may it bring praise and honor and glory to you! Give me this profound understanding of who and what You are so that I too will be full of inexpressible joy and praise. Amen.