1 Peter 1: 1-12

Very quickly in 1 Peter hope bursts into view! It’s described as “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3) and is set into the reality of life as something that, because of Jesus, will never fade. Peter reminds us that we are “shielded by God’s power” and because of that we can “greatly rejoice”, even when we “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:5-6).

Peter isn’t unrealistically encouraging us to deny times when things are hard going, but he is reminding us that since we are “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8), we can approach all things with a mindset of joy and hope.