WEDNESDAY October 18th
1 Peter 4:19
‘Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.’
This verse follows on from our previous devotion, and it gives to us the key to how we can persevere through the fiery trials that will come upon us as God’s people, and even though perhaps for many the trials will be less severe than for others, especially as we compare our lot in the UK today in comparison to many in other nations who are undergoing severe trials and persecution for their faith.
The key is to entrust our souls to the faithful Creator, for, God who has called us to himself through his Son is a faithful God, Scripture further reminds us that he will not cause us to undergo more than we can bear, ‘No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability’ (1 Corinthians 10:13), at first that seems a little difficult to grasp, for some seem as I have already mentioned to go through what we would consider unbearable suffering, even torture for their faith. How do we tie this in with this Scripture? Paul continues with this ‘but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.’ And because we acknowledge the faithfulness of God we also have to acknowledge (even though we may not fully understand it) that the way of escape might for some actually be through martyrdom for their faith.
What Peters says to us is that we need to entrust our souls to God, this means that we place our confidence, our trust and the outcome of our trials into the hands of our God who is faithful, in 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul says ‘. . . which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.’
Because the word ‘entrust’ is used in our text today, it automatically means that we will be faced with circumstances where humanly we can have no control over, or no idea concerning the outcome, but in ‘entrusting’ our souls to God, we are declaring that we know and accept that he is in control, he will work all things out according to his eternal purpose.
When I think of these things, a verse of Scripture always come to my mind from the time when Paul asked the Lord to take away whatever it was that had become a thorn in his flesh. This is what the Lord said to him, ‘“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”’ In response Paul replies ‘Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong,’ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
Oh the miracle of God’s grace. It is his amazing grace that saved us, his amazing grace that is keeping us and it is this same amazing grace that he will pour with sufficient measure into our lives as we face through whatever this life throws at us.