“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Pet. 5:10);
As we begin our week, many of us know what is before us, so we look to you for a voice of encouragement …of hope …and of comfort even in the midst of having to do hard things and/or having hard things done to us. We begin this week giving thanks for the various light and not-so-light experiences of suffering. To suffer is to be human; but to suffer well is to be His.
In the “bigger scheme”, as Peter said, all suffering is just for a “little while.” When life hurts the most, His word reminds us that He is the “God of all grace”—the one who has called us to “His eternal glory”—not mere temporal relief, for He chose us before the foundations of the earth, and we are His forever!
So our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, which means He has promised already to, indeed, “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” us, at just the right time and in just the right ways. He can do no less than this per His covenant promises. His promises are just as real as our pain, His daily mercies are most comforting in our fleeting misery, and His healing presence is more defining than our various hurts…physical, emotional and spiritual.
The Day of no more “death, mourning, crying, or pain” is coming (Rev. 21:4), but it is not here yet. Until then, we need to pray that He would teach us how to trust in Him during the times of suffering and affliction that He brings into our lives. David speaks to this very clearly, “I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (Ps. 119:75)
Paul weighs on this subject, as well, to help us believe a bold truth, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Rom. 8:18) Like Peter’s suffering for a little while, Paul says the sufferings, here and now, are NOT WORTH comparing with “the glory that will be revealed in us” now in Christ Jesus as we live for Him and at Jesus’ return. At that time we will know the truth of these statements on suffering in this life.
So may we pray that we will steward our challenges as a calling so that our empathy and compassion for others might grow. Because we have so much to experience today in Christ even in the midst of suffering and so much to look forward on that “great gettin’ up morning” …at Christ’s Return
God Bless y’all today.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
