Mona Selden writes daily devotions for her church, Marion Baptist, in south-central Virginia. She is co-host with her pastor on The Mosaic of Marion podcast. She has published devotionals and Bible Studies. Her writing and teaching are done with the desire to help others get to know God better through His Word. Mona’s husband is USAF Retired. They enjoy serving their church together and spending time with their adult children and their grandson.
My husband spent 23 years in the Air Force. At one point, we were told we needed to move from Ohio, where we had been for twelve years, to Virginia. I remember a time just before learning we would need to move when I read this verse:
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.
1Peter 5:10, ESV
I certainly had read it a thousand times before, but this time, it hit differently. I read those words at the end—restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish—with so much awe and wonder. I certainly didn’t want to suffer, but I certainly did want God to do those things for me.
Whatever suffering we face—difficult circumstances or because of our faith—this verse holds a promise we can cling to. The Amplified Bible says that God will make you “what you ought to be.” By restoring, confirming, strengthening, and establishing us, God is making us more and more like His Son. God uses our suffering to perfect us and settle us. He causes us to be of steadfast mind and to have a firm foundation. We grow in our spiritual knowledge when we suffer. God uses our suffering in such a way that we lack nothing, become unwavering in our faith, and are able to stand.
Just when life has knocked us down, we remember this verse and watch God pick us up and help us stand. When we feel as if the enemy is chipping away at us, when we are broken from our sin and struggles, we remember God is making us whole. When a medical diagnosis shakes our world, we cling to God and His Word as a firm foundation. When the world tries to fill us with lies and false doctrine, we cling to God’s promise to confirm His truth in our minds. We don’t have to wallow in difficulties; we only need to trust that God will do as He has promised to do.
Besides proclaiming God’s future actions for us, Peter affirms God’s call to eternal glory for us. Someday, we will be with Jesus for all eternity. Romans 8:18 tells us our suffering cannot compare to the glory we will receive. In fact, Paul states our sufferings are not worthy of being compared to the glory. If we set suffering and glory on a balance scale, we could never balance it. The coming glory is that much greater. Focus on the glory that is to come. Keep your mind on the things above (Colossians 3:2). Remind yourself as often as you need to that we are “being transformed in the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
We’ve all suffered various trials. No one likes to suffer. But what if, during our suffering, we look at this verse and cling to the promise of it? What if we held on to the truth that God would do these things for us with great expectation of what will come? Let’s cling to God and His Word, even during our suffering.
