Great Expectations

 

Great Expectations

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.   To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.   Amen.

1 Peter 5:10

When we are in the midst of suffering, it is difficult not to think that the ‘lights at the end of the tunnel’ may well be the headlamp of an oncoming train.  It is hard for us to convince ourselves or to be convinced by others that things are going to improve.  In our text for today the Lord assures us that beyond our present sufferings we have the greatest of expectations.

Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter reminds us first of the God who called us; that He is, not just the God of grace, but that He is also the God of all grace.  Every grace extended to any Saint, all the grace exhibited by the saints, and the sum of grace in its totality has for its source ‘the God of all grace.’  We should take great comfort from the knowledge that this is the God who has called us.

Peter next reminds us that God has called us ‘unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus.’  It is by this most Glorious Person and His Son that God has called us unto this ‘eternal glory.’  It is a glory for us to enjoy Christ Himself, the elect Angels, and the whole company of the redeemed, in a perfect environment of unending duration.  These facts do not diminish the grievousness of our current sufferings; however, they do put them in perspective of being temporary.  They are genuine, of course, and very painful, but they will not last forever.  To enforce in our minds what lies ahead for us, Peter sets forth the greatness of our expectations.  After our suffering we have the expectation of the perfection of our spiritual maturity, the foundation of our whole spirituality, the strengthening of our total being, and the settling of us in a situation of composure.  It certainly aids in the easing of our hearts and minds to think that the present sufferings which we are enduring are going to give way to such a glorious future.  Let us take comfort today from God’s Word concerning our ‘great expectations.’

Our Most Gracious and Loving Heavenly Father,

we rejoice in Your work in us, with us, and for us.

We praise your Holy Name for all the things

you have in store for us.

Where the Bush is Burning

Tomm Tice