1 Peter
1 Peter 5:10 says, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
Context. That’s what I’m learning. How to read scriptures in context. After a lengthy discussion with Steve about this passage, God has helped me to understand it in context to the rest of 1 Peter 5. Peter was speaking to the saints who had been dispersed from Jerusalem and were being persecuted for their faith. The book of 1 Peter seems to me to be a reminder to expect suffering on earth but that they are living with the hope of eternity with Christ.
When I read a passage in the Bible like “after you have suffered a little while,” I get excited and think “oh goody, suffering for a little while, clearly that can’t mean longer than a year….” But life on earth is just a “little while” compared to heaven. We might not ever see the end of this trial until we see Jesus face to face. We can’t hold tightly to anything except Christ. While we are here, we may be restored, confirmed, strengthened and established to a degree, but we will never fully be any of those until we are with the Lord.
But suffering our entire lives here is what most clearly reveals God to us and most intensely gives us the desire for heaven. That’s right where God wants us to be. And suffering is where He has us now.
Larissa
linda anne
November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am
Larissa, I am praying for you!!! For peace, patience, perserverance, and GRACE. Remember, just keep asking for more. It honors God. You are an example of faith without sight, trusting in the sovereignty of our Creator. I thank God that He has saved you and that you CAN put your hope in something more than luck and medicine…that there IS something more than this life.
I also thank God that you still have sweet moments with ian- how gracious of God than ian is in such improvement to be able to reach for your hand!! I love hearing that.
linda anne
crossway church lanc.
anonymous
July 13, 2007 at 4:22 am
Oh Larissa, how hard this trial must be. I pray that you are comforted though by times of sweet fellowship with the Lord.
Moses went through many trials. Before he even got to the wilderness he had trials, but the Lord was always with him.
The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Ex. 33:14.) In the next few verses the Lord shows His glory to Moses.
I pray that as you go through this very difficult time, you will feel the Lord’s presence with you and have rest. I pray that He will show you His glory and that it will continue to give you joy and hope and peace.
Moses didn’t see the Promised Land in his lifetime but we are under a new law, a new Covenant. “…by His wounds we are healed. (Is. 53:5b)
I am praying that you and Ian and the Murphy’s will all see the Promised Land (Ian’s complete healing) in this lifetime.
Praying full of faith for as long as it takes.
Vicki G.
Marge
July 13, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Very insightful. Thank you so much for sharing with us what the Lord is showing you, Larissa. I love Him more and trust Him more because of you.
anonymous
July 13, 2007 at 9:07 pm
How true it is! thank you for this post. God, through suffering, is bringing his children to a place of longing for their true home more than the present, finite one.
praise the Lord, who’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and who’s way’s are not our ways…
katie