Just A Little While

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:8-11 NRSV
All Christians will face resistance when their light shines in the darkness. Just as a trainer will tell you that resistance exercises build strong bones and muscle tone, the bible explains what resistance does for followers of Christ. Even though it can be a bit painful, in the long run it does make us stronger, providing we are answering the call to “his eternal glory”.
The choice to serve Christ is not a blind one. God has given us a road map, his word and his spirit, showing all the bends and turns, pit falls and valleys of life. He also provided for us, by his grace, rest stops and mountain retreats. Too often we tuck our maps away in the glove compartment of our cars and go racing off down the road. When we come into unfamiliar territory and the road gets rough, we frantically reach for God’s map! “Oh Lord, restore my path!”
Some suffering we bring on ourselves, not from serving God, but from serving the god of self. Thankfully, the grace of God still covers us, and even when we mess up He can restore us. What a great word that is – restore. It brings on visions of health and wholeness. Restoring us to strength again, we can stand firm and steadfast, growing stronger with each trial.
If we are in Christ we need not fear suffering, for it is padded with restoration, grace, and the promise of eternal life.