FAITHFUL CREATOR. 1st Peter 4:19 With that in mind, believers can expect both good times and bad, but our trust in God's sovereign will should never waver. As the "faithful Creator," a reference to our Lord Jesus Christ, 'by whom and for whom all things are and were created," we can commit ourselves to Him without fear. Trust in Him overcomes the fear or depression we might feel in the circumstances we face. When the pressures of opposition come and the situation seems hopeless, faith in our Lord will keep us from bitterness and hatred toward those who cause the suffering.
God is faithful to His word and His people. He knows us and will not allow us to endure more than He enables us to bear. Peter's words would have comforted those enduring physical and social suffering. The same holds true for emotional or other forms of opposition when we remain loyal to our Lord and are committed to doing His will, regardless of the consequences.
Suffering as a believer, according to God’s will, stems from living in a way that pleases Him and from being a faithful witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. There will also be physical suffering from sickness, injuries, and other common human ailments. “The keeping of [our] souls” is committed to the faithful Creator with the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ; “Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.”
So, the glory of suffering benefits us when we understand it as a refining process that brings Christ- likeness before those who observe the suffering saints. The blessing of suffering enables believers to experience the presence and fullness of the Holy Spirit in special ways. The discipline of suffering helps us evaluate our service and conduct in light of the future day of accounting. Then we can gain the right perspective on our service, whether we pass through this testing in God's will, for God's glory, and for God's purpose.
This attitude is confirmed by doing good as a pattern of life and as evidence of confidence in God. This is not a “martyr complex” nor is it the result of acts of self-will, but of a proper perspective on life and, in particular, on suffering. Faithfulness to God and endurance in trying times are part of His divine will for His people.
When we have unreserved trust in Him, we can overcome fear, depression, and animosity toward those who oppose us, while maintaining a sensible understanding of what it means to be a stranger and a pilgrim passing through an antagonistic world. Believers are a new creation, created by God with a new nature to love and do good works for His name’s sake.
When we are born again, we are made new in Christ, given new life, and made to be “partakers of the glory that shall be revealed.” The word “commit” in this verse is the same as in 1st Peter 2:23, where we read that our Lord “committed himself to him who judges righteously.” Instead of praying for deliverance, believers are to commit themselves to God and be willing to accept whatever the Lord allows to happen to them.
He is the same as when He first spoke in the world, “Let there be light,” and the light began to shine. He’s the same as when He came, and salvation’s plan unfolded, and the light that shone on sinners was Him. In the future, He’ll still be known as the “Faithful and True” for all eternity. He is a faithful Creator to those who are suffering, and His grace and power will bring them through. The will of God may lead us to places we’d avoid if we were choosing the path of our lives. But whether here at home or serving Him abroad, let not the suffering be caused by strife.
The Word of God, unbound, leaves an impact that the faithful Creator can use as He will. I will leave the keeping of my soul to Him who found me and saved me, and I know He will keep me. My trust is in Him alone, who will finish what He started when He made a “new creation” out of me. He provided for my need when He imparted the Holy Spirit. The Creator will then see joy from His travail as I continue to do good for His name’s sake.