“After Ye Have Suffered Awhile….,” 1 Peter 5:10. Everyone who has ever truly desired to be used of God, knows these words.

One of the first things we learned as young beginners, is that it was going to be part of the journey. Sometimes, it seems that we once had a greater depth of reasoning, in this walk so many of us began on. It wasn’t hard to understand and see the truth, that if we wanted to be like Him, there would be things to endure. It was clear. I don’t know totally how so, but it was. Perhaps, someone preached it.

There is a lot in the first part of this chapter [1 Peter 5]. It covers many of the issues we were encouraged to live by; great marks of truth. The last part of this verse was easy to entreat and it was a hope and a promise to us.

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you,” 1 Peter 5:10.

Even the beginning of it was readily understood: “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ.” What was it that God was going to do for us? He would make us perfect, establish us and strengthen us. I was so attracted to those last two words; “settle you.” No words to tell it.

God never intended for us to be destroyed. Someone told us, and we also read in His Word, that we should desire and seek the things of the Spirit. You see, there needs to be a witness today. I know for a fact that in the beginning, we were encouraged to do just that.

Somewhere along the way, it appears that someone was going to side-swipe the truth, about the Holy Ghost teaching us. In reality, if the Holy Ghost had not been there to lead and guide many of us, just where would we be now. We’d have no growth.

But there was a process that had to occur, before we could have the last part. And it was those two words, “suffered awhile.” It is in me today, to be honest, that I had no idea of how long that meant. And neither did you. If we had, we would have done our best to bail out, before things even got started. In fact, some of us tried. It might surprise some, that many of us already had a real taste of this, when we were yet small children.

Many of us got the baptism of the Holy Ghost about the same time we started school. But you see, God had a plan, even then. H e knew us, long before then.

There’s something on my heart I want to share with all of you.

This suffering awhile, has been intense; especially lately. God and I have a very close relationship today. It does not upset Him one bit, to tell Him, that I just can’t do it anymore.

Witnesses share here, that they have gone and are going through some of the roughest and most breaking-down trials and tribulations. No one need try to tell me, that God will not break you down and re-build you, if it will bring about a vessel that will accomplish the task they were meant to complete. How is it that so many, jumped off the potters wheel?

He, does not cast us aside or throw us down, in the midst of this load of preparation. He is not that kind of God.

The One that I do my best to serve today, knows exactly how human we are. There has to be some rewards along the way too; and there are. After so much sickness and despair, in only 48 hours, God has moved in my behalf, in three different ways. It’s the prayers of you, caring people of God, and the truth that, “He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all they ways; they shall bear thee up in their hands,” Psalm 91:11-12. So that we don’t dash our foot, against a stone.

 

~ Robert Blackburn

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Robert Blackburn

 

 

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