1 Peter 5:6-14

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen. 12 I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace. 13 Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet each other with a kiss of love. Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.”

We need to war against arrogance, anxiety and the adversary but we also have to weather:

4.        Adversity – Problems – Vs 10

And it’s here that Peter provides a prescription to our problems: 

1. Expect Grief – Vs 10

Not only do we have an adversary but we also face adversity. Suffering can be a struggle but we need to remember two things, the duration and the dynamics. When it comes to the duration even though suffering seems to lasts a long time, compared to eternity suffering is short. Second suffering in the hands of the Savior can make us stronger and more steadfast. Only God can take the things intended to ruin you and use them to restore you. Interestingly this word restore was used in Matthew 4:21 to describe Peter after his night of failure as he sat on the shore mending his fishing nets. Not only can God bind up your brokenness but he can use it to bless. He is committed to making us strong, even after we have failed. I’m sure Peter was thinking back to the words that Jesus spoke to him in Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” The primary purpose of Peter’s letter was to strengthen the Saints, and ironically this strengthening came out of Peters suffering. Lastly it says that He will place us on a firm foundation, this is the same word used to describe the man in Matthew 7:25 who built his house on the rock so that when the storms came the house stood. When it comes to adversity instead of focusing on the obstacle focus on the outcome. Because when you do your focus will be on the Author not the adversity.

2. Exult God – Vs 11

Don’t let suffering silence your song. Because when we keep singing in the suffering we affirm His sovereignty. Don’t give in to the groaning, when you are going through the garbage keep giving God the glory. How?

3. Embrace Grace – Vs 12

Peters purpose in writing was to encourage and assure that what they were experiencing was truly part of God’s grace for them. We need to stop seeing suffering as strange and stand firm in God’s grace. How do you face the groaning by grabbing onto and gird yourself with grace. Because Satan wants to gut you with guilt and leave you swimming in shame. He wants to keep you from fully realizing the victory that is yours in Christ. Are you braced by grace? Look the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.