Day 34: Jesus, You Lead Me To Eternal Glory

No suffering lasts forever. The wilderness is not our final destination. Sometimes a trial may seem to extend well beyond our own level of endurance. Even so, we can take heart that the difficulties have time limits attached to them by God Himself. He promises in 1 Peter 5:10 “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 Peter 5:10 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Of course, I have a lot of favorites. Those in my classes or those who’ve read my books often tell me, “Catherine, EVERY verse is your favorite!” Yes, I guess that’s true. But there are probably some in Leviticus that have not caused my heart to leap for joy. But 1 Peter is such a great book for those whose hearts are in trouble because of the difficulties in their lives. I have titled 1 Peter “How To Suffer.” And Peter’s letter on suffering is filled with all kinds of encouraging verses. 1 Peter 5:10 is like the icing on the cake!!

I want to share some encouragement from one of my favorite commentators, Kenneth Wuest. Wuest opens up the meanings of words in a way that no one else does in many passages in the New Testament. But this is especially true in 1 Peter. So here’s what he says about some of the phrases in this amazing verse, 1 Peter 5:10.

A little while – These words mean, literally, “a little while” in regard to our suffering.
The God of all grace – God is the source of spiritual comfort and help for every occasion.
Call you to his eternal glory in Christ - God calls us into salvation in order that He may derive glory for Himself by virtue of our being saved. He who has called us in His grace will supply all needed grace until we are ushered into Glory.

And here’s where it REALLY gets good. I love this. To me, this is a taste of the “eternal glory.” He says that He will Himself “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (ESV). The NASB translates: He will “perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Here’s what those words really mean. That word “perfect” (or restore) does NOT mean to make spiritually mature and complete as in other places in the NT. Here it means, “to fit or join together”. The idea is adjustment, the putting of parts into right relationship and connection with one another. Wuest says it “refers to God mending the lives of Christians, thus equipping them for usefulness in His service.” He says that it’s the “work of the Holy Spirit in rounding out the spiritual life of the saint so that he is equipped for both the living of the Christian life and the service of the Lord Jesus.” Then, the word “establish” means that God puts you on a solid foundational position so that nothing may shake you. He strengthens you so that you may overcome every adversity.

Take comfort, dear hearts, in these words today. For when you are suffering, especially in the dark night of the soul, nothing seems “right”. Everything is out of sorts, and it’s as though you are in a strange land. Here the encouragement is, first of all, that the Lord KNOWS. And He is saying, hang on beloved, for the time of suffering is only for a “little while.” And then, He goes on to promise that He’s going to put it all back together, mending everything, and equipping you for what He is going to call you to do for the sake of His kingdom. He is making you stronger than you can possibly imagine, regardless of how weak you feel that you are right now. And be encouraged – He IS the God of ALL grace and will pour out His comfort and help for every need. And the destination is sure – eternal glory. Eternal means forever and that’s the comfort of His promise – we have hope of everlasting glory. And that’s a hope that no one can touch.

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You that no suffering I endure lasts forever. Thank You for the words “a little while” for they encourage me to know that every trouble has an ending date on it. And thank You for the promise of mending my life and putting everything that seems out of sorts back in its place, only better, equipping me for Your service. In Jesus’ name, Amen.