When We Are Overwhelmed – 1 Peter 5:1-10
Tending the Flock of God
5 Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2 to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.4 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. 5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.8 Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.
What does the Passage say?
V. 1-4 Peter calls out the church leaders, elders, to eagerly care for the members of the community. Not being forced to do so, but to do it as a result of their love for God. The reward is coming from our chief shepherd, Lord Jesus.
V. 5-6 Then Peter calls the younger people to humble themselves under the instruction of the elders. This can be a foreign concept to many who live in this age. We need to remember there are two conditions to command. First, the elders are to set a model of service and care. Second, the ultimate reason for humbling ourselves is to be obedient to our Lord Jesus.
V. 7-10 Peter tells all people of God to ‘cast their anxiety to our Lord and keep faith.’ The enemy will continue to attack the people, and we need to be alerted. Until the day we see our Lord, face to face.
What does the Passage say to me/us?
What comes to your mind, when you hear the word attack from the enemy. The first thought would be us going through difficult times. We see it from the Book of Job, and many other Christians who go under trials. However, what about the attack we experience during peaceful times? The main reason for the attack is to draw us away from our Lord, and if we are distant from our Lord, we do have to see that there is some attack on our spiritual life.
In some cultures, people cook frogs. I know it might be hard to imagine, but here is my point. The method they cook the frog can give us an insight into the way the enemy is cooking (?) us. The frog is put into a pot with cold water. They do not know what is about to happen. The pot is heated, and the water temperature goes up too. The lid of the pot is sealed, so when the frogs are aware of the rising temperature, they can’t escape.
The attack of the enemy can come in a gradual way. That is the reason why we need to be aware and alerted.
This is why Peter says, “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever” (v. 8-10 The Message).
The attack will come, but as long as we ‘keep a firm grip on the faith’ we will be victorious.
Prayer
Lord, help us to see where the attack comes. Help us to be alerted. Help us to endure all difficulties, by holding onto you. As we rely more onto your grace, help us to provide hope in this world.
In Christ we pray, AMEN.
Click to subscribe to our Daily Devotion.
You will receive a devotion in your inbox every morning.