When faced with a difficult situation, we often wonder if we will ever be delivered from it. But as believers, we need to take comfort in the very words of the apostle Peter. He said, “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” (1 Peter 5:10). Indeed, our God is gracious, compassionate and loving. He will not leave nor forsake us. It was for freedom that God called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. As we live in his light, we shall not languish forever in the work of the flesh.
When God made the call, his intent was not for us to have a problem-free life. But while problems will come, he made sure that these will only be temporal. These are not meant to inflict harm on us or to cause us to fall beyond recovery. Rather, the Lord uses these trials to strengthen our faith and make us better people. As to how temporal these trials will be, Jesus cannot be more explicit when he said to the church in Smyrna, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown” (Rev. 2:10). To know that these sufferings are only for a moment is a great encouragement.
In this message to the church in Smyrna, Jesus made them understand that suffering will surely come, and warned that they were about to experience it. However, such suffering should not have been a cause for alarm since it was only temporal. To further alleviate their concerns, he gave them a specific time frame for their suffering, which was ten days. Even from the beginning of their suffering, they could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. All that they needed to do was to be faithful and to endure hardship for a while. And because these sufferings were meant to be a test of their faith, they should have considered it a joy to go through because of the reward awaiting them. No wonder the apostle James, in his epistle said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
As we go through our sufferings, the fear that we may not be able to recover what we have lost comes to further aggravate our situation. Nevertheless, knowing that God himself will restore us brings comfort and encouragement. In fact, God will not only restore the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12) but even our wealth (Psalm 126:4). He will also restore our health and make us strong. However, it should be understood that the source of our strength to overcome our trials and struggles is none other than the Word of God. The Psalmist said, “I am weary from grief; strengthen me through Your word” (Psalm 119:28). Indeed, there is no better way to confront the devil but to use the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
When Jesus came, he also had to go through sufferings. The moment he revealed himself as the Messiah, he was immediately confronted by the devil with a series of temptations. In all these temptations, Jesus used the power of the Word to rebuke and overcome the devil. When tempted to turn the stone into bread, Jesus responded, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). When tempted to throw himself down from the highest point of the temple, again Jesus said, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (v. 7). And when tempted, for the third time, to worship the devil in exchange for the kingship of the world, Jesus rebuked him saying, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (v. 10). In these temptations and by invoking the Word, Jesus modelled to us how we should confront trials when they come.
The ultimate goal of all the temporal sufferings that we go through is to make us strong, firm and steadfast. These are the attributes that will make us faithful even to the point of death and ultimately receive the promised reward of life as our victor’s crown. Therefore, let us stand firm in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The thought that these trials are for just a moment should encourage us to endure and look forward to a great deliverance. Yes, he will restore unto us everything that the devil has stolen from us – joy, peace, health, wealth, relationship and the like. Our God who called to his eternal glory in Christ is gracious and compassionate. He will bless us with the victor’s crown. Hallelujah!