“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.” – I Peter 5:10
In the times of the early church, persecution of Christians was rampant. In his first book, Peter encourages those believers who find themselves in precarious situations because of their faith in Jesus. They lived in a time when anyone remotely associated with Jesus was targeted for harassment, imprisonment, or even death by both Gentiles and their own countrymen. Those who were living testimonies of what Jesus had done… the blind who could now see; the lame who could now walk; the leper who was healed; the dead raised to life… were well aware of the dangers they faced, and now that Jesus had returned to His Father in heaven, anyone who stood for Christ was sought out to be silenced in order to eradicate the spreading of the Saviour’s teachings.
Peter reminds his fellow believers that God allows hard and challenging times to come into their lives in order to strengthen their faith. He goes on to say that this earthly life is only temporary, and that one day, they will enter God’s promised eternity with Him in heaven forever. Through these reminders, Peter seeks to encourage and support the Jerusalem believers and urges them to continue living for the Lord.
While I have never been persecuted like the believers of the early church, I have experienced many situations where my faith was shaky. Doubts crept in amidst the turmoil, and with those doubts came fear and worry. It was difficult to see how God was working because I felt so helpless and unsure of what tomorrow would bring. Through my own battles with cancer, my husband’s experiences with heart disease, my family’s struggles with life in general… I prayed and prayed, but my heart was unsettled, and I was afraid. Often the Lord brought to remembrance what the prophet said about the heart in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Ah, yes… I needed to retreat to the Word of God for its truth and assurance that I was firmly in the hand of God. (John 10:28-29)
Through the Scriptures, God reminded me that I live in a sin-cursed world, and I will not be free of its trials and tribulations until He takes me home. Meanwhile, He will be with me as I travel through this life, and He is working in my life to make me more aligned with His precious Son, Jesus. I am reminded that I am a work in progress… His progress, and He will complete His work in me! (Philippians 1:6)
Until that day, I know I will face situations that will be out of my control, and that I will not like. I may even ask God, “Why?” But through them all, I know He is with me and is working in me… to make me “perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you” just like He was doing with the believers of the early church. And for that, I am so very, very grateful!
Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
(from “Have Thine Own Way” by Adelaide Pollard)
“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” – Isaiah 64:8
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Without Jesus, facing the trials and tribulations of this world are impossible. Do you know Him as Lord and Saviour? If not, I’d love to introduce you to Him!