READ: 1 Pet. 5:10-11: 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. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Peter concludes his letter with extremely encouraging words. It is a benediction: God has called us, under circumstances of suffering and heavy opposition, as the God of all grace. It is He who provides us abundantly with all that is necessary in His loving grace to reach our ultimate goal.
That ultimate goal is for us the eternal glory of God in Christ Jesus and the greatest grace imaginable for sinful people. It is only through our fellowship with Christ Jesus, Who has brought us back to God through His suffering and death, that we have earned the eternal inheritance of glory.
This prospect gives us firm hope, especially now that suffering compared to eternal glory is only of short duration (v. 10, also see 2 Cor. 4:17, Heb. 10:37, 1 Pet. 1:6, Rev. 6:11). May this God of all grace also equip us for our task on earth so that we can enter into glory. May He also confirm us and strengthen our faith so that we remain standing in suffering, oppression, and temptation, so that we do not stagger, slip, or succumb. May He also establish us and place us on a firm and immovable foundation.
Peter ends this section with a grateful hymn that fits the calling and confirmation that the Lord God promises us. It is an echo of the praise and honor that we give Him in the prayer that Christ has taught us and that also resonates in heaven (Rev. 4:11; 5:13). Our Amen also belongs there.
Do we praise the Lord even in times of setbacks?
Singing: Ps. 138:4