What does it mean to be established? Typically we see the word establish as being related to a building, business or corporate body but the meaning actually goes deeper than that. To be established can actually mean all of these things as well: “to make firm or stable” , “to put into a favorable position” and “to put beyond doubt” according to Webster’s Dictionary.
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 (NASB)
Despite being a single verse, 1 Peter 5:10 is absolutely profound. And although I am focusing on the idea of being established as a child of God, let’s take a look at the rest of the verse leading up to how God establishes us. Right away, in the very first clause, is an acknowledgement of trouble and strife and the suffering it can bring for the believer. No matter the time or place we were born in, if we desire to live a Godly life then we can be assured that at some point along the way we will go through some suffering. Much of the book of 1 Peter deals with the Christian’s reaction to suffering and how God uses our suffering for his glory, to win others to Christ and for our betterment.
The Holy Spirit through Peter wants us to know that on the other side of our suffering lies glory. God Himself calls us and He intends to share with us the same glory that He has reserved for His only son, Jesus Christ. We our joint-heirs and can expect an eternity that words can’t begin to adequately describe. All of that is in front of us and we have a lot to look forward to.
Until that time, God will use the things we go through in this life to perfect us (make us mature and complete) strengthen us and establish us. Looking back at some of the definitions of establish that we began with, let’s insert those words into this verse and see what happens. 1. God Himself will “make us firm and stable”. Our spiritual position will be strengthened and the foundations of our character will become stronger. 2. God Himself will “put us in a favorable position”. Ultimate victory is reserved for God and God alone. Only He can help us be victorious against that which would come against us in this life. In our day to day struggles, do we take point or do we allow God to fight our battles for us? (Once I began to understand this truth and started asking God to fight my battles for me and trust Him with the outcome it changed my life!) 3. God Himself will “put us beyond doubt”. To me, this means that I accept God’s victory and acknowledge that He has already won the battle. My responsibility is to trust Him, to bring all of my doubts and worries to Him and to seek His presence above and beyond anything else.
To be established by God Himself is an amazing truth and an amazing promise for all believers. What is so perplexing to me is that so often we do not live as members of God’s establishment. Despite being given everything we need, we choose to walk in doubt, fear and error. That’s why it’s so good to be reminded at every available opportunity just how much God loves us and just how much He has given us. No matter where we are now or what mistakes we might have made, God has given us today and right now to turn back to Him. I don’t want to miss out on what God has for me, how about you?