“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, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).
The week’s introduction includes these words: “Suffering is neither desirable or easy. Yet, 1 Peter 1:19-20 says, ‘This is grace.’ Twice in this passage we find charis (the Greek word for grace) used in reference to suffering. The truest test and display of grace comes as we suffer in doing good for the cause of Christ.” As unpleasant as it can be, suffering can work in our favor.
As I share commentary from Albert Barnes about today’s verse, may we view suffering from a different perspective.
“But the God of all grace—The God who imparts all needful grace. It was proper in their anticipated trials to direct them to God, and to breathe forth in their behalf an earnest and affectionate prayer that they might be supported. A prayer of this kind by an apostle would also be to them a sort of pledge or assurance that the needed grace would be granted them.
Who hath called us unto his eternal glory—And who means, therefore, that we shall be saved. As he has called us to his glory, we need not apprehend that he will leave or forsake us.
After that ye have suffered a while—After you have suffered as long as he shall appoint. The Greek is “having suffered a little,:and may refer either to time or degree. In both respects the declaration concerning afflictions is true. They are short, compared with eternity; they are light, compared with the exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Make you perfect—By means of your trials. The tendency of affliction is to make us perfect.
Stablish—The Greek word means “to set fast; to fix firmly; to render immovable.”
Strengthen—Give you strength to bear all this.
Settle you– Literally, found you, or establish you on a firm foundation. The allusion is to a house which is so firmly fixed on a foundation that it will not be moved by winds or floods.”
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Faye Hanna (SCWAC), mother of Kristi Johnson, missionary to Spain as she recovers from a kidney transplant. Praise God that the Johnsons were in the states, visiting with family, when the donor match call came, enabling them to there at the time of the surgery.
