[And the God of all grace,]… will himself restore you …
Summary: We suffer in life and in death. In both cases, God himself will restore us.
Why do we need to be restored?
Peter begins this passage talking about “the God of all grace.” He adds that this is the same God who “called you to his eternal glory in Christ.” The suffering he has been talking about is related to our life in this world. It is the suffering that we discussed in yesterday’s meditation, “Thorns.” Today we ponder the cost of suffering.
In Luke 21: 12-19, Jesus describes what life and suffering for the believer will be like. Believers will be hated. He uses words such as “persecute” and “prison” to describe what happens to them. He talks about how we will bear testimony about Him. He promises to be with us and give us the words we need. Then he talks about believers who are betrayed by family and even put to death. All because of Him. Then, after saying some of us who believe will be put to death, he says the most amazing thing:
“But not a hair of your head will perish.” (Luke 21:18)
Heaven and earth are two different places. We can see one, but not the other. Flesh and spirit are two different things, and once again we see one but not the other. It is almost like Peter has learned to “see” both realms. His words speak to two different situations at the same time. One reflects Peter’s own experience in this life. The other reflects the eternal truth of Jesus’ words in the Luke 21 passage.
Peter is a living testimony to the restoration Jesus offers us in the flesh. After he betrayed Jesus (Matthew 26: 69-75), Jesus restored him to full discipleship (John 21: 15-19). Peter is also an example of the restoration after death. After Peter’s body was brutally martyred, Jesus restores him to full life in the Spirit.
The God of all grace has the power to restore. He can put flesh back on bones (Ezekiel 37: 1-14) and raise the dead back to life (John 11: 38-44). He can tear down this world (2 Peter 3:10) and make it new again (Revelation 21: 1-5).
Application: We must put our trust in Jesus, not in the flesh.
Food for Thought: How does the promise of restoration impact your faith today?
It impacts my faith to keep me full of hope. I have faith that he will restore more than flesh and spirit. One of my paryer in in the restoration of relationships of families restoration of people’s faith. But I also have faith that in His plan, not mine.
Tim,
If we were cars instead of people, hope would be the high octane fuel in our gas tank! 🙂
I agree with Tim – we can be full of hope because we know the outcome of our eternal life. As Peter said earlier in the book, we “are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” The promise of restoration impacts my life with joy in the present – no matter what happens in the world around me.
Thanks Rich!
I love the reference to 1 Peter 1:8. Joy is the antidote to this worlds sadness.
If I have faith,..evidence of things unseen, then I should be believing in the promise of restoration and it shouldn’t have any impact on my faith today,..because I believe in what Jesus has done to restore my life in His.
Now if I was just coming into the faith then the promise of restoration would have a huge impact because of the sinful life the gospel has exposed to me that I was living,..
But,..I hold onto a faith that can’t be shaken,..the devil has already lost and it’s all because of Jesus and the blood He spilt from the whipping post to the cross,..that is a faith that hasn’t been shaken since God in the flesh stepped foot on this beautiful creation of His called earth,..I didn’t see, but when I read it all becomes crystal clear and so easy to believe that because of Jesus the faith I have can not be shaken,..He has given me faith to face the giants in life,..as a matter of fact He has given me the power to slay the giants in this life,..just as smooth as the stone David hurled at Goliath,..Christ has given me the power to hurl those smooth stones at my Goliaths
So,..I guess maybe today the promise of restoration would just help to strengthen the faith I do have to continue carrying the cross I have picked up to follow Christ,..
Yesterday,..at Home Depot picking up a few supplies,..as a few supplies I mean by a bucket load of hinges and other small items,..I helped the lady at the checkout with taking the items out of the bucket and putting them back in after she scanned them,..after we were done,..she mentioned that I was the nicest contractor she has ever met,..I looked at her and said,..I owe it all to Jesus,..her eyes lit up and we glorified Jesus right there together,..we elbow bumped and had such a great conversation that the security guard had to come over and see what the commotion was all about,..we filled him in on just a little bit of Jesus and the power He has in our lives,..soo cool to be a witness to others of the cross we carry,..keep smiling!
John,
Thank you for sharing! I love reading your stories about you living your faith. I was at Home Depot yesterday, too, but I did not share in the same kind of adventure. God bless you, brother! And may he bless your continued ministry for Him!
How does the promise of restoration impact your faith today?
Two men were filled with the Holy Spirit at birth, Jesus and John the Baptist. Two men walked with God led people to God, and did not see death, Enoch and Enosh.
The rest of mankind have come to accept Christ at some point and as believers have experienced the lifelong process of restoration. Some like Samuel who began serving God as a young boy, between 6 and 11. Others like another servant of God Saul/Paul spent many years in opposition to God before they met Christ and began the process of restoration later in life.
Sin is any deviation from God’s perfect standard of Holiness. In sin, we reject God, separate ourselves from Him and put ourselves in His place. We can all easily look back on our lives and see the wreckage of lost opportunities. It’s tempting to wish we could rewind time and delete previous words and actions. It’s natural to question why did God take so long to reveal our sinful ways to us, we could have avoided so many bad things. One reason is what satan meant for Evil, God will use for Good.
The fact is, God is a Restorer. Our Omniscience, Omnipresent, Sovereign Restorer. He will not allow the years we spent serving, pursuing sin go to waste. In His Sovereign love, God has been watching over us, insuring we reach the point of knowledge and conviction. God always knew the right moment for salvation and His timing is always perfect. In reality, it could have been much, much worse. God has actually kept a hedge around each of us and limited the satanic powers against us. Joel 2:27 and Job. The process is unique with each individual to accomplish His Will. We are each unique jewels, equipped to accomplish God’s unique purpose and comfortably allow God to minister to others through us.
God’s standard for restoration is much higher than ours. God’s goal is for total restoration of every person. Enjoy the process knowing God has full knowledge of every tiny defect in our lives. He will not be satisfied until all things are in order and we will each live in constant fellowship with Him. What does not get fixed on earth will be fixed when we meet with Jesus.
We are all works in progress, support those we can, seek support when in need, and stay far, far from judging anyone.
Ron,
Thank you for the wonderful essay! God is a restorer extraordinaire!
I really appreciate the emphasis on the fact that we are all in different stages of restoration. If we were all old cars being restored instead of people, some of us would be fresh out of an old barn or a muddy field. Some would be taken apart, others having rusted parts replaced. Then there is the assembly; new upholstery, bodywork, primer and paint. So many details are needed just for a simple car. It takes God to handle the details in a human life.
👍🏻