What a Day That Will Be!

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. (1 Peter 5:10 ESV)

Sometimes knowing how familiar words are defined can be worshipful in the study of Scripture. Here’s how dictionary.com defines these four words:

Restore—to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting; to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor. And here’s the kicker: we don’t know what our former, original condition looked like. We have never experienced it! We have to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, see Adam and Eve without the condition of sin to know that. What a Day That Will Be!

Confirm–to establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of; corroborate; verify: to acknowledge with definite assurance. Peter wrote to scattered Christians who had lost their homeland and their identity as good Jews. Here he promises them a permanent place with a permanent status. What a Day that Will Be!

Strengthen—to make stronger; give strength. What encouragement! To those who are physically or emotionally weak right now–God will strengthen you! It may be today…it will definitely happen in eternity. What a Day that Will Be!

Peter saved the best for last:

Establish—to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis; install or settle in a position, place; to show to be valid or true; prove; to establish the facts of the matter; to cause to be accepted or recognized; to bring about permanently. What a Day that Will Be!

John Newton, former slave trader and author of Amazing Grace, said it this way:

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”

If you have time, take about 2 minutes and listen to the words of this old song: