Humble Yourselves

Having exhorted humility toward others, Peter now exhorts humility toward God, especially in relation to the unpleasant circumstances in which the believers find themselves. They are to regard these circumstances as God’s sovereign will for them.

As a result, in their distress they are not to shake their fist at the heavens but are to humbly accept their suffering as God’s will, at least for the time being. When Christ returns, God will lift them from this humbled state to a position of honored exaltation.

In the meantime, if their suffering should tempt them to question God’s attitude toward them, they should remember that God cares for them, which should lead them to share their anxiety with God in prayer. They need to keep their heads, being mindful that their difficulties open them up to the devil’s wiles. He is like a ravenous lion who will devour them if he can, which echoes the description of the enemies of the suffering psalmist in Psalm 22:13.

The devil is the greatest enemy the faithful have. Indeed, instead of abandoning the faith because of their difficulties, they must stand firm and remember that they are not in this fight alone. They are part of a far-reaching family that knows these same kinds of trials.

Furthermore, these trials are not the end of the story, for one day God will fulfill the plans to which he originally called them. Then they will live out their lives in the eternal glory God has prepared for them. Since God is all-powerful, they can be sure that he will bring this great hope of theirs to pass.

Taken from the NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible.