WATCHWORD:
8 Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. 9 Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too. 10 After you have suffered a little while, our God, who is full of kindness through Christ, will give you his eternal glory. He personally will come and pick you up, and set you firmly in place, and make you stronger than ever. 1 Peter 5:10
Meditation:
Our Trusting Times
As I write this, a personal friend of mine, and many of you, a member of my church, is going through those last days on this plain, awaiting God’s call to her eternal glory in Christ. We know that she, as well as her family, have suffered for a little while, but then, she will be restored and made strong, firm in Christ’s love. This we believe.
We all go through suffering from time to time. And because we know whose we are, we persevere with confidence and faith because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that because of our belief and faith, we will be called to Christ’s eternal glory and, in truth, we will be restored and made strong.
Sometimes, resting on the promises of our Heavenly Father is a task, a hard task in the face of suffering. We have to be reminded, from time after time, that we are God’s creation, and we are adopted into Son-ship, and, as such, we have nothing to fear. But, when we feel that God is far away, being encouraged by those promises can be difficult.
There is a difference between our fear for right now, this minute, in this sphere, with pain gnawing at you, and worry for your loved ones, occupying your mind, and the promise of peace and fullness in our eternal home. Those are different levels and we cannot see into that higher plain, so God’s peace in our times is sometimes hard to grasp.
Like you, I have watched as loved ones have slipped into the “next room”, as one poet has put it. And we marveled at the peace that seems to settle around the person. The pain of grief is ours and maybe it takes a while for the reality of our loved one experiencing Eternal Life with Jesus, to finally penetrate our acute sense of loss.
Whatever we are going through, our own tough situation or the loss of a friend, we must trust God with it. We must depend upon God in those tough times, just like all the other times when we have trusted Him. Maybe we will have those times when we feel God is somehow gone away, but at that point we need to realize He has made His home with us and is never far away because He is here, within us. Trust that along the bumpy roads and the smooth ones. Amen.
On Our Faith Journey:
Think hope. Celebrate life. Don’t do too much of one thing – moderation. Sing along with the radio as if no one can hear you. Laugh at yourself.
Closing Prayer:
Gracious Heavenly Father, we come before you with heavy hearts for friends and loved ones that are hurting, Lord. You know who they are. And You know their needs. We pray that You would give them a sense of Your presence and a measure of Your peace. Strengthen those who are caregivers and inspire them to be Your hands and Your voice. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
