He will Restore

Sunday November 23, 2014

The alarm clock rang promptly at 7 in the morning, Sophie woke up with a bad headache, but she thought nothing of it. She pushed away the covers and got out of bed. Suddenly, as a stroke devastated her brain, darkness descended and she collapsed to the floor. Sadly, situations like this one have been a reality for many people over the years.

Suffering often strikes us at the most unexpected hour and - for some people - it´s a constant companion. In times of pain and difficulty, we´re prone to doubt two things :  that God is in control and that He will care for us. We wonder : how can I trust God? It seems too hard when I´m in the middle of a crisis.

The apostle Peter offers some counsel. First of all he tells us to humble ourselves before God (1 Peter 5:6). God is God and we are not. He has a higher purpose, a clearer perspective and better timing for all things. So it´s vital that we submit ourselves to His control and His care, giving all our worries to Him, for He cares about us (v. 7).

Secondly, resist the devil (vv. 8-9). During trials we´re especially vulnerable to the enemy of our soul. He´ll try to make us doubt God´s goodness, accuse our conscience and cause us to believe that our suffering is unique. "Be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are" (v. 9).

Finally, hold on to God´s promises (vv. 10-11). He intends for you to share in His eternal glory. So He "will restore, support and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation" (v. 10).

The God of all grace is also all powerful. He will do it! - Poh Fang Chia

Read
1 Peter 5:6-11
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God´s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Job 38 1-41
The the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said :
" Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me."
"Where were you when I laid the earth´s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"
"Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther;Here is where your proud waves halt'?"
"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken."
" Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this."
"What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!"
"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and to make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?"
"Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God´s dominion over the earth?"
"Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'?"
"Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?"
"Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?"

Question to Ponder
How does Peter´s counsel encourage you in your suffering?
Use 1 Peter 5:6-11 this week as a prayer guide for you and others who are suffering

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Sept - Nov 2014 issue