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10 months ago
The Promise of Future Grace: Enduring Suffering with Hope
How Long, O Lord? The Promise of Future Grace in Suffering
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of affliction or stress, crying out to the Lord, "How long, O Lord? I can't see beyond today's pain. What will tomorrow bring? Will you be there for that affliction too?" It's a cry of desperation and longing for relief. We all experience suffering in various forms, and it can be a great threat to our faith in God's future grace.
Jesus himself warned us about the need to endure to the end, saying, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13). We don't take this lightly. The fear of shrinking back and being destroyed is real. We long for assurance that God will be with us through every affliction and that he will ultimately bring restoration and glory.
In his letter to the afflicted and weary Christians, the apostle Peter offers a comforting promise. He writes, "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" (1 Peter 5:10). This is a powerful assurance that God will not delay beyond what we can endure. He will not abandon us in our suffering. Instead, he will personally intervene to restore and establish us.
The source of this assurance is the God of "all grace." He is not a God of some grace or limited grace. He is the God of all grace, including the infinite and inexhaustible stores of future grace that we need to endure to the end. This future grace is what sustains us in the present. It is the confident hope that God will abolish the flaws we bemoan and establish forever what has tottered for so long.
Our faith in this future grace is strengthened by the memory of past grace. We can look back on the ways God has shown us his grace and faithfulness in the past. We can remember how he has carried us through previous trials and provided for our needs. This remembrance gives us confidence that he will continue to do so in the future.
As we face suffering and affliction, we must fix our eyes on the God of all grace. We must trust in his promise to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. This trust is not based on wishful thinking or positive thoughts, but on the solid foundation of God's character and his track record of faithfulness.
In the midst of our suffering, we may be tempted to doubt God's goodness or question his plan. We may wonder why he allows us to experience pain and hardship. But the truth is that God is working all things together for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28). He is using our suffering to refine us, to strengthen our faith, and to draw us closer to him.
Just as a potter molds and shapes clay, God is molding and shaping us through our suffering. He is using our trials to reveal areas of weakness and sin in our lives that need to be addressed. He is teaching us to rely on him and not on our own strength. He is transforming us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
In the midst of our suffering, it can be difficult to see the bigger picture. We may be focused on the pain and the present moment, unable to see beyond it. But God sees the whole picture. He knows the purpose and the outcome of our suffering. He has a plan, and it is a plan for our good and his glory.
So, when we find ourselves in the midst of suffering, let us remember the promise of future grace. Let us trust in the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory in Christ. Let us hold on to the hope that he will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. And let us remember that our suffering is not in vain. It is part of God's redemptive plan for our lives.
In the words of the apostle Paul, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). Our present sufferings may be difficult and painful, but they are temporary. The glory that awaits us in Christ is eternal. And in that glory, all our suffering will be forgotten and replaced with joy and peace.
So, let us endure with hope and trust in the God of all grace. Let us cling to his promises and his faithfulness. And let us remember that our suffering is not the end of the story. It is just a chapter in the grand narrative of God's redemptive work in our lives. And in the end, we will see that his future grace was worth the wait.
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of affliction or stress, crying out to the Lord, "How long, O Lord? I can't see beyond today's pain. What will tomorrow bring? Will you be there for that affliction too?" It's a cry of desperation and longing for relief. We all experience suffering in various forms, and it can be a great threat to our faith in God's future grace.
Jesus himself warned us about the need to endure to the end, saying, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13). We don't take this lightly. The fear of shrinking back and being destroyed is real. We long for assurance that God will be with us through every affliction and that he will ultimately bring restoration and glory.
In his letter to the afflicted and weary Christians, the apostle Peter offers a comforting promise. He writes, "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" (1 Peter 5:10). This is a powerful assurance that God will not delay beyond what we can endure. He will not abandon us in our suffering. Instead, he will personally intervene to restore and establish us.
The source of this assurance is the God of "all grace." He is not a God of some grace or limited grace. He is the God of all grace, including the infinite and inexhaustible stores of future grace that we need to endure to the end. This future grace is what sustains us in the present. It is the confident hope that God will abolish the flaws we bemoan and establish forever what has tottered for so long.
Our faith in this future grace is strengthened by the memory of past grace. We can look back on the ways God has shown us his grace and faithfulness in the past. We can remember how he has carried us through previous trials and provided for our needs. This remembrance gives us confidence that he will continue to do so in the future.
As we face suffering and affliction, we must fix our eyes on the God of all grace. We must trust in his promise to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. This trust is not based on wishful thinking or positive thoughts, but on the solid foundation of God's character and his track record of faithfulness.
In the midst of our suffering, we may be tempted to doubt God's goodness or question his plan. We may wonder why he allows us to experience pain and hardship. But the truth is that God is working all things together for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28). He is using our suffering to refine us, to strengthen our faith, and to draw us closer to him.
Just as a potter molds and shapes clay, God is molding and shaping us through our suffering. He is using our trials to reveal areas of weakness and sin in our lives that need to be addressed. He is teaching us to rely on him and not on our own strength. He is transforming us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
In the midst of our suffering, it can be difficult to see the bigger picture. We may be focused on the pain and the present moment, unable to see beyond it. But God sees the whole picture. He knows the purpose and the outcome of our suffering. He has a plan, and it is a plan for our good and his glory.
So, when we find ourselves in the midst of suffering, let us remember the promise of future grace. Let us trust in the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory in Christ. Let us hold on to the hope that he will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. And let us remember that our suffering is not in vain. It is part of God's redemptive plan for our lives.
In the words of the apostle Paul, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). Our present sufferings may be difficult and painful, but they are temporary. The glory that awaits us in Christ is eternal. And in that glory, all our suffering will be forgotten and replaced with joy and peace.
So, let us endure with hope and trust in the God of all grace. Let us cling to his promises and his faithfulness. And let us remember that our suffering is not the end of the story. It is just a chapter in the grand narrative of God's redemptive work in our lives. And in the end, we will see that his future grace was worth the wait.
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