February 27

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you. — 1 Pet 5:10 BSB

To take Christ in any new relationship, we first need enough intellectual understanding to be confident we can stand in that relationship. Even a shadow of doubt can wreck our faith. Once we are convinced, we must make a definite choice, a commitment—just like planting a tree or saying “I do” at the marriage altar. It must be done once and for all, without reservation or retreat.

Then, there’s a period of settling, testing, and establishing. During this time, we need to “stay put” until the new relationship becomes a permanent habit. It’s like when a surgeon sets a broken arm in a splint to keep it steady. God has spiritual splints too—He wants us to be still and unmoved until our faith is established.

This can be difficult for us, but the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory, will, after we’ve suffered a little while, “stablish, strengthen, and settle” us.