Scripture: 1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Devotional: Earlier this week, we talked a little about Jesus’ return. He will make all things new. There will be no more crying, heartache, mourning, pain, or grief. All of God’s creation will sing His praises, and we will live in His presence constantly. It is hard to even imagine what that will be like! We can be thankful for the descriptions that are given to us about the heaven and new earth, but we have to understand that we were not given all of the answers or details about it either.
One thing that we can be certain of is that, among all of creation being made new, we will be made new, too. We are promised that there will be an end to our suffering. We can find hope in that. But we are not promised that our suffering will end on this side of eternity. We may suffer or face persecution for our entire lives on this earth. In God’s redemptive plan, this is temporary suffering with a promise of eternal life. Our verse for today reminds us that we will be made new. Through the God of all grace, who gave His life in our place, we get to spend eternity with Him. And He will restore us. We are also told that God will make us strong. He will make us firm. He will make us steadfast. In the midst of our difficulties and our suffering, we may feel weak. As we trudge on through this life, we can feel exhausted and diminished. But the promise that we are reminded of in this verse from 1 Peter is that when God calls us to be with Him, He will completely restore us, and that restoration will last. Every piece of us that we lost along the way will be made new. He will strengthen us and renew us forever.
Isn’t that such a joyful reminder? We have a God who loves us and wants to restore us. No matter the struggles you have had in the past, present, or future, there will be a day when you stand face to face with your Creator and He will make you complete, strong, and secure for all of eternity.
Reflect:
- What emotions rise when you think about God restoring you?
- If you are currently in a season of struggle, give it over to God. Pray that He would consistently remind you that it is temporary and one day, you will be made new.