5 Steps to Victory - Step Four

"Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little."

1 Peter 5:10


For the last ten days or so, I have been sharing with you the five steps that God used to lead me to victory. Today, is (obviously) Step Four. I just want to say again that these are the Scriptures that I have claimed to remind me of the victory I am promised as a daughter of the King. I pray that you find encouragement in my journey, but that you would also ask God to show you your own steps to overcoming obstacles...steps that are specific to your situations. It is an incredible feeling to be led by the Lord down a pathway - specially laid out for you - that leads to abundant life!

This verse from 1 Peter was shared with me in May. I had spent the last 12 months in a tailspin. I felt like a failure and a disappointment - to God and to my family. I was a mess inside and out. And then these words were spoken to me and my heart was pricked.

These words carry a promise - a promise of restoration and strength. But what stirred my soul was this: God Himself will personally fulfill these promises! I know that in my darkest hours, I would rejoice at the thought of being restored and strengthened. And I know that God can accomplish this promise with a single word. But the Creator of the universe, the King of Kings, Jehovah-Jireh is not only going to send us these things....He is going to personally deliver them to us!

I was set on fire by the thought that God would take the time to even bother fixing someone who was such a disaster. I had convinced myself that God only looked upon me with disappointment and pity. Surely I had messed up any chance I had at receiving anything from Him. But, not only was He going to establish me, restore me, strengthen me, and support me - He was going to do it in an intimate and personal manner. This gives me the courage to face the days and weeks ahead.

You see, we don't get these promises - this gift from God - until we have "suffered a little." God is not going to rush down and lavish us with these things just because we ask Him to. He is most certainly going to wait until the perfect moment...the moment that will bring Him the most glory.

Learning to trust God's timetable is difficult. But I am inspired by the words of Jesus in John 11. Lazarus is sick and word has been sent to Jesus. Instead of dashing to His friend's side, Jesus says, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." And even though Lazarus did die...the story does not end there! Jesus restores Lazarus! It is my prayer, that even in my darkest moments, I would be able to say with confidence and boldness, "It is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it!"

I am walking in victory, sometimes minute by minute...and even then falling very short most days. I still have a long way to go to complete healing. But I am clinging to God's promise that He will bring to me total restoration in His outstretched hands after I have suffered for a little while. And until the day that I receive His special delivery, I proclaim to you and to Him and to the world, that every panic attack, every tear, every failure "is for God's glory!" May Jesus be glorified in our weakness!