Don’t Panic

Don’t Panic

Bible: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Reading

                       Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as
                                   though something strange were happening to you (V.12).

On a cruise in the Caribbean, I was listening to the first-day safety talk. Understanding the different alarm sounds was important in case we needed to get off the ship quickly! The instructions from the safety talk ended with a simple but vital example of the alarms. A handful of short air-horn blasts were to show a drill (or practice) was taking place. That alarm sounded very different from
the proper alarm, which would only sound if we were in real danger. A drill did not mean we needed to jump ship. If we were to panic during a drill, it could lead to chaos. When we don’t understand problems or upsetting things that are going on around us, it’s easy to be shaken by life’s alarms. The first Christians knew this too. Peter’s warning to them was simple: “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you” (1 PETER 4:12). The trials and pain of life may sound like a call to ‘jump ship’—to run away and hide. But it’s better to listen more closely to God. The difficult
things we’re going through may be the sharp reminder we need that our trust is to be in God alone.
We can trust Him in those times when the alarms start to sound.

                            LIFE’S CHALLENGES ARE NOT MEANT TO

                              BREAK US BUT TO SEND US TO GOD.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries