Himself

By: Carole L. Haines

⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷ casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. ⁸ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. ¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. ¹¹ To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.  (1 Peter 5:6-11)

Somehow, in suffering, we think we have to conjure strength for the journey. My own experience has taught me that strength comes in yielding to The Lord in all that He allows. He promises here in 1 Peter that, “He, HIMSELF,” will produce the fruit within me. He Himself will perfect me, confirm me, strengthen me and establish me. Let’s look deeper into the meaning of those virtues.

• Perfect-to complete thoroughly, i.e. repair (literally or figuratively) or adjust:—fit, frame, mend, (make) perfect(-ly join together), prepare, restore.
• Confirm-to set fast, i.e. (literally) to turn resolutely in a certain direction, or (figuratively) to confirm:—fix, (e-)stablish, steadfastly set, strengthen.
• Strengthen-(bodily vigor; probably akin to the base of G2476); to strengthen, i.e. (figuratively) confirm (in spiritual knowledge and power):—strengthen.
• Establish-to lay a basis for, i.e. (literally) erect, or (figuratively) consolidate:—(lay the) found(- ation), ground, settle.
   (All definitions from Strong’s concordance)

So, God Himself will perfect me, complete what is lacking in me. He will restore me, provide the bodily vigor I need to endure what I am going through. He will confirm me in spirit both by knowledge and power. He will lay the foundation of my faith and settle me into the right frame of mind to glorify Him in whatever it is I may be experiencing. I love How it is written in the Epistle to the Thessalonians.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23)

God will complete the work He is doing in us, this precious work started when we stepped into the faith into which we now stand. (Phil. 1:6) I am finding that, yes, growth is work, but it is also a lot of leaning into Christ to complete the work He started. John 15 reveals that our greatest work as believers is ABIDING.

⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.“(John 15:5)
Abiding is our learning to stay in the pocket with Christ and allow Him to transform us and complete us. This is never truer than in suffering and struggle. Yield and abide, Dear believers, set yourself to learn how to yield and abide. Merry Christmas!