Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
Chapter 5 of 1 Peter tells us about the lion, the crown, and the angst.
First the lion. Peter says, “Be alert and clear-minded.” Why? Because, he says, your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).
I haven’t encountered the devil as a roaring lion, so I’m not sure what to do with Peter’s description. I resonate more with images of the devil as a slick salesman using artificial intelligence to assess my interests, and to develop sketchy products to empty my wallet. Sounds like Amazon.com’s business model.
In CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, a senior demon suggests strategies to help a junior devil tempt his human. Don’t try to frighten him, says the senior devil. The safest road to hell is the gradual one–the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, milestones, or signposts” (Screwtape Letters, chapter 12).
Ah yes, the busy, broad, and meandering road that takes us go wherever we want to go. It’s all about the journey, not the destination.
Or is it?
On the second topic, angst, Peter says, “Cast your anxiety on God, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). Many of us moderns live with an undercurrent of anxiety. A friend’s email address is “Perpetual Angst”. I’m familiar with some of his difficulties, but I’m not sure how to help him give his anxiety to God.
A third topic Peter raises is a crown. He says, “Be shepherds of God’s flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Pet 5:4). I watched a few seasons of the Netflix drama The Crown, a history of Queen Elizabeth. I’m not sure I am suited for or want a crown like that. But perhaps the crown God offers is not golden headwear, but the satisfaction of his approval when he says “Well done!”
When theologian Stanley Hauerwas taught in a Catholic university, he noticed colleagues with lives of quiet serenity attending with love to the everyday, not needing to be recognized as making a difference (Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir, p. 95-96). Yes. That’s what I want my life to be, one that quietly defeats the lion and the angst, and serenely earns a crown of glory.
Let’s pray the blessing at the end of 1 Peter.
May the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever (1 Pet 5:10-11).
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube
Pray with Me 