Daily Devotional

So much of 1 Peter is about suffering. After you read it you shouldn’t be at all surprised that you encounter suffering in your life. I wonder why I continually have to be reminded of that fact. Truthfully, if I’m not going through some kind of suffering there should be some kind of “red flag” going off in my head…Am I living in such a way that others see Jesus? Does my daily walk reveal that I am following Him and not the path that my flesh would like me to follow?

The passage before this talks about watching out for the devil, who walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour us. We are commanded to resist him, steadfast in the faith.   When I was in Africa I visited a lion farm. There I learned that there is a difference between how to react to a lion versus a bear. You run from a bear. But with a lion you stand firm, and make yourself BIG, even yelling loudly and boldly. It scares him!! They demonstrated it for us with a lion (of course he was behind a fence so we were pretty safe).

The thing I like about the verse above is that there is an understanding that suffering is hard; it can reveal our weaknesses. But this verse promises that God will restore us. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we have gone astray. It could just mean that we need a refreshing boost in our soul. But in either case, He is coming alongside us; restoring what needs to be restored, making us strong, firm, and steadfast. Powerful to stand firm and steadfast against the lion, the devil; ready to continue speaking the truth and letting Jesus shine out of us.

 If you are in a period of suffering I pray this encourages you. God says in a little while He will restore…Your circumstance may not change but He will make you strong, firm, and steadfast.

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