(1Peter 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.”
If it’s God Himself who chooses to restore, who would ever be able to stop him, not your closest brother or your friend could even have an influence over that restoration. It would be beyond opinions and the reckonings of men or even the strength of angels, although God may well chose these mediums to strength a brother once he has served out his sentence, a sentence of suffering. But that is not the point Peter stresses, he says that the God of Grace, He himself will restore the suffering pilgrim. As I have said in times past we are encouraged to suffer for doing that which is commendable. However will this restoration only apply to the believer that does what is commendable?
The context is this chapter is about humility and how God resists the proud, but give grace to the humble. So if a bad decision cause a man or woman to stumble and it gets them to a place of humility will God be the one who brings about the restoration? Yes I believe the scripture is full of these types of examples. David with Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite, Samson through a vigorous process of needing to break him down to such an extent that he lost both his eyes and yet it was God in person who ultimately came to his aid and his rescue; look at this verse; “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1Peter 5:7): - Does failure bring about anxiety? Does this need a retort? I think not!
I am not for one minute suggesting that we should not strive to find grace in time of need, so that we walk obediently before our Holy Father! That is a given! But what of the times we find that we fail dismally? Does that now disqualify us; I suppose before men this is true, it is Paul who gives us this teaching; “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1Corinthians 9:27)
But will God ever give up on one of His Children? It is not possible, sure heartache often plays its part in my life, but without this reassurance, as a simple man I would have nothing to hold onto and yet by the grace of God, He gives me the resolve from somewhere to remember this verse and to cleave to it will all I have; “…for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."” (Hebrews 13:5)
I suppose it is unfair to look to fallen men even though they too have been saved by the grace of God to understand or sympathise like our Saviour the great High Priest is able to sucker those who hurt in their time of need. He alone earned the right to be called the “Great High Priest”. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, or put another way He is aware of our anxiety as He too felt its power and yet without ever succumbing to it. It was of such strength that he began to sweat drops of blood. And yet when we fall He does not stand with a bucket of feathers and a brush full of tar. He beckons us to come and seek out His forgiveness. No wonder God needed to send His only beloved Son to die on a cruel Roman Cross and yet to be a man tempted in all points as we are and yet with no sin. What man has ever endured such a great accomplishment? None other than Jesus Christ our Lord and our God praise His name!
It is obvious we will disappoint our brethren when we fall, but do not be surprised when their reactions to our falls throughout life also disappoints in return. Remember that we do need one another but it is only our Lord that knows where and when to exert pressure and when to release it, so we all may remember to call upon Him in time of need. And may the rest of us learn to be sensitive to the leading of God the Holy Spirit. And yet this too is also a process.
Signing off
Tyrone
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