“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10 ESV).
Although it may be unpleasant to contemplate, this passage reminds us that God may sometimes orchestrate a season of hardship within our lives. In other words, God may call us to endure a period of suffering that is likely to be painful or discomforting. Those seasons may prove challenging for those who struggle to understand why a benevolent God would permit His followers to endure these periods of difficulty.
For instance, some might say, “If God is good, then why has He allowed me to suffer through a painful experience?” In considering that response, it’s important to recognize it begins with a faulty assumption. You see, that response wrongly assumes that all pain is inherently bad. Hebrews 12:11 serves as a case in point, for that passage alerts us to one of God’s objectives in allowing painful events to enter our lives…
“Now obviously no ‘chastening’ seems pleasant at the time: it is in fact most unpleasant. Yet when it is all over we can see that is has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the characters of those who have accepted it in the right spirit” (Phillips).
While it is sometimes difficult to understand why God permits suffering in our lives, we can make some general observations. We considered several of those possibilities in our earlier look at 1 Peter chapter four and they bear repeating here.
For example, God might allow such things to strengthen us (2 Corinthians 12:10) or build our trust in Him (Psalm 50:14-15). God may also use suffering as a tool to establish patience and endurance in our lives (Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 10:35-38). He might use those trials as a model for others, showing them the right way to navigate through the challenges and hardships of life (2 Thessalonians 1:4). Furthermore, suffering can act as a catalyst that leads us into a deeper relationship with God (Hebrews 5:7-8).
While these hardships are undoubtedly painful, they also play a role in cultivating humility (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). In addition, they create a shared foundation for ministry to others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Finally, suffering can deepen our understanding and our gratitude for Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf (Philippians 3:10).
So those who journey through a period of suffering can take comfort in knowing that it will not continue indefinitely. God will ultimately restore us and strengthen us, just as we are told here in 1 Peter 5:10.