Lion about!

1 Peter 5:8-14

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹ To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

¹² With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

¹³ She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

I haven’t been to Africa or anywhere where lions live. But I can imagine that if I were in the middle of the savannah, I would certainly be on high alert for dangerous predators. This passage likens the devil to a prowling lion, yet I am often not as alert as I should be for him. The devil knows my weaknesses. When I feel like I “haven’t fallen for that one for a while. I must be over it” – that’s when I’m off my guard and that’s when the self-condemning or unkind thoughts begin.

For the Christians Peter was writing to, suffering might have produced different challenges to mine. I suspect that, in the face of physical persecution, their temptation would be to give up on God and go back to their former ways in order to make the persecution stop. Peter reminds them, and us, to resist thoughts that lead us away from God, whatever form they take.

Peter’s method of resistance is not to just “grit your teeth”, but to change your thinking. Recognise that suffering is short-term. Focus on God’s grace, which guarantees eternal life and will eventually restore us, making us “strong, firm and steadfast”. He also reminds us that all believers are subject to the same suffering, so we are not alone.

Lord, thank you for eternal life. Thank you that we will all stand strong, firm and steadfast one day. Please help us focus on your grace and resist the devil, who wants to pull us away from you. Thank you for giving us a family of believers to encourage us. Amen

Written by Megan Cornell