George Matheson

Peter’s Wish

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect."
                                           —1 Peter 5:1           

What a singular wish! The singular thing about it is the blot in the middle--"after ye have suffered awhile." What would you think of getting the wish from a friend--"I hope you will have sunshine, but not till after rain!"? Yet this is what Peter desires for you; he forecasts for you in his heart all the gifts and graces of the Christ-life, but he asks that you may not get them without struggle--only "after ye have suffered awhile." Does it not come with a singularly bad grace from Peter--a man who could not wait five minutes for anything, who saw ever the crown before the cross? Nay, my brother, that is just the explanation of the wish. He spoke from bitter experience of his own past. He had come into his kingdom too soon. He had obtained his crown before he could support its cares. His faith had been drenched in the brine; his love had been cooled in the judgment-hall; as he sat by the fire he had cried, "I know not the man!" That is why his wish becomes beautiful. He says: "I do not want you to be like me--finding the keys too soon. I do not want you to be innocent--pure because there is no cloud, calm because there is no wind, honest because there is no temptation, loyal because there is no danger. I wish yours to be the bloom of the flower--struggling from below, of the day--emerging from the night, of the man--outgrowing the child. May He who has called you to glory by the cross perfect you only 'after ye have suffered awhile'!"

Even so would we pray, "O Father, there is a peace which we would not possess, because it is not the peace of Thy Son. There is a silence which is mere emptiness--the calm of the deaf; it is the stillness of vacancy. Be not that our peace, O God! We cannot know Thy stillness till it is broken.  We cannot see Thy beauty till it is shaded. We cannot reap the healthy benefit of Thine air till we have shrunk from the breath of another air. We see Thee not in Thy full glory till we have met the tempter in the wilderness. Thy sun comes after rain; Thy day comes after night; Thy calm comes after storm; Thy music comes after discord; Thy joy comes after pain; Thy freedom comes after slavery; Thy life comes after death. There is no music in the silence till we have heard the roar of battle; Thine eternal glory would be too long for us if we did not first 'suffer a while'."

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