Strength #3—Renewing Strength

After you have suffered for a little while, the most gracious God, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, stabilize, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

Peter knew from experience that this promise is true. He was able to write about it here because God caused it to come true in his life. Remember? Before Jesus’ crucifixion, Satan had demanded to “sift” Peter by testing his allegiance; so Jesus prayed that his faith would not cease. While he did not prevent the test or keep Peter from making a fool of himself, he did warn Peter that it was coming. Then he predicted that Peter would survive the trial. Finally, he gave him a task to accomplish after he had repented: to strengthen the other disciples. The fellowship of wounded healers makes possible the healing of wounded fellows. We must become strength coaches for each other. Since faith is like a muscle, it grows when we use it to resist Satan’s efforts to destabilize us. At the end of a particular struggle, God joyfully works to repair and add to the exhausted fibers of our faith. Our job as coaches (in the midst of trials and afterward) is to exhort each other to keep resisting, to advise each other of any change in the direction of Satan’s force, and to help each other maintain appropriate levels of spiritual nutrition, which God uses internally in the growth process. God’s glory is not for weaklings. So he supplies us with everything we need to remain strong enough to enjoy it.

Glorious and gracious God, “I need you every hour” to restore and renew my strength. Keep my eyes on your glory in Christ, so I will endure the pain of resistance in his name.