1 Peter 5:10-11 - 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. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

When you are in the midst of suffering, where does your mind go? Do you find yourself dwelling on the suffering itself, finding it hard to think about anything else? Do you struggle with worrying about how long your suffering might last? If you find yourself feeling more despair than hope when you are pressed by the suffering in this world, then these verses may be particularly helpful to you.

Peter goes on to list various promises that we need to hold on to so that our suffering doesn’t become all we see or think about. First, he tells us that our suffering will only be for a little while. Now, it’s true that “a little while” could last a few hours to the rest of your life, but either way, there is an expiration date on your suffering. In other words, no suffering you experience in this life will last forever if you are in Christ. There will come a day where there is no more pain or tears or sorrow any more, and that will be a glorious day.

He tells us that our God is the God of all grace, meaning the grace that we need for our suffering will never run out. Times when we grow weary can be met with God’s grace time and time again. His grace is an abundant fountain for us to drink from, and because of his grace that saved us from sin, we can trust that his grace is sufficient for our suffering as well.

This grace reminds us that God is carrying us through each day until one day we will experience the promised eternal glory of Christ. As we set our minds on this precious promise, we can see that no matter how terrible the suffering, Jesus himself is with us. If he is with us to walk with us and carry us through our suffering, then we can also hope in the promises that Jesus will personally restore us, confirm our faith, strengthen us for what lies ahead and establish us as tried and true saints of God.

It can be hard to see all of these promises in suffering, but truth be told, suffering need not be a thick fog in our hearts and minds. Much like a ship coming into harbor in the thick of night, the lighthouse pierces the darkness and guides the ship home. Look to the light of Christ in your suffering and you will see that suffering is not an end in and of itself, but rather a tool for the strengthening of the saints.

If you are suffering right now, remember that you are a child of the king. God’s dominion and rule far exceeds whatever difficulty you may experience, and because of this, you can trust that nothing that happens to you is outside of his control or command. No matter what storm comes your way, Jesus can quiet it. No matter what persecution you face, Jesus can never be taken from you. See your suffering through the lens of the promises of God, and in those promises, hope and strength will rise.