Be Still

1 Pet.5:10 (BSB) “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.” (emphasis added)

Pain is not palatable for anyone, not even Jesus. But God’s Words says, if something strange is happening to you, do not think it is something strange. I am not saying that pain is palatable. I am also not saying we should go around looking for pain or for trouble. There was a time people wanted to push Jesus off a cliff, the Bible says He escaped. Why did He escape? Jesus did not want to die with His bones scattered, that was not in the Books for Him. Not all pain is necessary, not all suffering is necessary, but all can be beneficial. Some suffering people go through is not necessary. It has nothing to do with God; it is not Calvary, it is not Golgotha, it is self-inflicted. But even that one will work out for your good in Jesus Name.

By the time we are done, even those of us that have gotten ourselves into unnecessary suffering, God will make it work for our good. A few facts about suffering that we need to know. Firstly, No Suffering Will Last Forever. Everything you are going through is going to come to pass – everything! No suffering lasts forever so, do not glorify it. Even those that last a life time expire here on earth. In heaven, there will be no sorrow, no tears, no crying.  However sometimes you need to hide yourself, live a sheltered and protected life. Isa.26:20 (BSB) “Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while until indignation runs its course.” (emphasis added).  The word ‘rooms’ in this passage means your refuge, your strong places. Inevitably, some things will have to run their course, that is just how life is sometimes. A pregnant woman in her third month is uncomfortable, her body is changing, and she does not like the changes. By the sixth month, she is really in pain. But there is no point praying that the baby should come out. The pregnancy must run its course.

However, sometimes when we are going through things that have to run their course, we do not learn to hide. You need to learn to hide, dig in, dig deep, and find a place of refuge. You need to learn to hide and watch it pass over. And sometimes when we are faced with a challenge that will pass over, we actually make permanent decisions based on a temporary situation. But, God says, this will pass over. By the time it passes, then what happens to the permanent decisions you have made? No suffering lasts forever. Be patient, hide yourself.

Prayer: Father, conceal me in Your presence,  hide me in The Rock, far away from troubles and enemy floods, in Jesus Name. Amen! (Ps.27:5)