The Lodestar

Peter wrote the second epistle to congregations facing severe persecution. He had only one piece of advice for them: trust the Lord, live obediently, and keep their eyes fixed on their hope. When he penned this epistle in the late 60s A.D., the political forces were pitting fire at the humble Christian believers, who had no recourse other than to pray together.

He told them that suffering should not surprise them, but it is very much part of being a follower of Christ. However, the suffering is not the end; they should live each day with the hope that there is deliverance for those who remain steadfast in adversity.

While enduring suffering, they must humble themselves and eliminate all anxieties. Humbling is to flatten oneself or to chop off all aspects of unrealistic esteem that one holds. This word is used to describe levelling hills and mountains: “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low...” (Luke 3:5). The persons enduring suffering should know their actual size before God. They must be willing to trim the appendages of ego, vain self-confidence that exaggerates them.

A puffed self-image fools us into believing that everything is under our control. We become anxious when we realise our limits. Unwilling to hand over what worries us to someone higher than us, we panic. An exaggerated self-image and an unwillingness to trust a more powerful person lead to an anxious spirit.

So, the mantra for an anxiety-free life is to have a humble spirit and proper self-esteem that allows the Lord his due place in our lives. When we know our limits and the limitless power of the Lord, we can cast all our cares onto Him and live with confidence, not fear.

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