There are certain foods, which usually fill our stomachs with both carbs and starches that give us a unique feeling of comfort during stressful or anxious times. The books of 1st and 2nd Peter should act as spiritual comfort food in the lives of Christians today.
In the first verse of 1st Peter, we read that the original audience of the letter were Christians in five different provinces of Asia Minor who had been “scattered.” These Christians had faced persecution, so significant that they chose to leave everything they knew behind and relocate to foreign lands.
Peter begins by reminding them that, regardless of how stressful and anxious life may have become, they are “chosen.” They are God’s people. As Christians, they belong to God, and even though their physical world turned upside down through persecution, they “are” His. In the last chapter, Peter reveals the inspired purpose of the letter saying, “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” (5:12). In other words, “Stay Faithful!” Regardless of your circumstance, find comfort in God and “Stay Faithful!”
There are times when Christians, even today, need the comfort of knowing that they still belong to God, that God is still in control, that God’s plan is eternal, and that regardless of our physical circumstances, we still belong to God.
Matt Langfield