We’re coming to our final study in 1 Peter – we’ll be reading 1 Pt 5:6-14.
I’ve really learned a lot from Peter’s letter. Navigating through times of suffering is such a timely theme – suffering seems to be a constant companion on this journey of life. It was 2,000 years ago, it is today. But if we can learn to gain a higher perspective on suffering, it can enable us to respond to it in healthy ways.
As Peter closes his letter, he offers a few strategies for handling trouble in this life. V 6-7 are pretty famous verses. Why do you suppose Peter encourages us to be humble before God as a response to anxious circumstances? What connection between our anxieties and humility do you see?
V8-9 are likewise popular verses. Normally the devil is described as a serpent or a dragon. Why do you think Peter uses the metaphor of a lion here, when talking to Christians who faced persecution under Nero’s reign? Are there any other significances you can imply from the lion imagery, in terms of how they hunt or who they target? How would you connect that metaphor to Peter’s warning for the community of church?
What is his final resolve in v10-11? How does he sum this up? How would you sum up what he sums up (say THAT 10 times real fast!)?
I hope this study is encouraging and challenging – see you Sunday!
WONDERWHAT 
Isn’t anxiety the result of our feeble attempts to control our destiny? Whatever the stressor is , we respond by calculating scenarios which we envision will resolve the issue. This snowballs into even more stressful imaginations of, “But, what if?”
Interesting that Peter predicates casting all of our anxiety on him with “Humble yourselves” first. Our attempts to handle the situation ourselves, apart from Him, is pride. Humility is the recognition that we can’t. Peter encourages us not to just give God our anxiety, but cast all anxiety on Him because He really does care about us.
Rob I heard something this morning I have never heard about fellowship and worship. You said
that folks state they don’t need to worship at church and fellowship with other believers on their
own in ‘individual worship’. For so long after I found out what worship means to me, for my
family, friends and to God it felt so bad to hear that from people especially those close to me. I
desperately needed an answer for them but with the lack of one I always hoped one day they
would get it and desire to seek what I had found. I guess it made it better to know it was between
God and the professing believer and it would be settled in His plan. Still I have been so uneasy
knowing the truth but not realizing the truth is that it simply isn’t biblical. I am listening to Patty
Griffin right now as she sings ‘Up to the Mountain’ and it’s simply biblical, “because You asked
me to”. TK