The God of all grace . . . after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Pet. 5:10)
Most pain doesn’t last forever. Hit your thumb with a hammer, and you will experience instant and intense pain. In that moment you probably aren’t rational enough to think that in a day or two it won’t hurt anymore, but a process of healing has already begun, even while the hurt remains.
Suffering is not always physical. In fact, emotional, relational, and circumstantial suffering can often be more painful than a whack on the thumb. Even God’s people can suffer intensely and think the hurt will never end. But usually it does. Suffering is usually for “a little while.” But even if it seems to go on and on, at some point God will restore you.
The God of grace is always moving toward restoring that which is broken and hurting. He moves that direction in our lives and in our world. He seeks to redeem our broken and suffering world. Right now it is one life at a time, but soon he will make all things new and whole.
Meanwhile, God can take the painful places of our lives and redeem them. He can restore wholeness in us. He can fix what is broken and make us stronger in those places.
Our sufferings intensify when we struggle with them alone. Casting our anxieties on the Lord more quickly moves us from hurting toward healing.
Turn your hurting place over to God and let him restore you.
Dr. Ken Heer was an ordained minister with The Wesleyan Church, prior to his death in 2016. He served as a pastor, educator, and church leader for more than forty years, helping people grow in Christ.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
