1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray
As did all the
Apostles Peter believed that the return of Christ Jesus to the world was
imminent; that is, it could happen at any given second (James 5:8; Romans
13:11; Hebrews 9:28; 1 John 2:18). This should make a difference in all
followers and believers' lives, then as well as now. Therefore, Peter
admonishes all saved believers to be of sound mind, prepared and watchful,
primarily so that we can exercise our most potent God-given tool, prayer. When
the Apostles were in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus just before He went to
the Cross, the Bible says that Jesus prayed (Mark 14:32). When Jesus returned
to the Apostles, He found them asleep and asked Peter why he couldn't stay
awake for one hour (Matthew 26:40). This incident in Peter's life could have
very well been on his mind when he was writing this verse of scripture. It also
most likely impressed Peter's mind with how crucial and vital prayer was in the
life of a follower and believer of Christ Jesus.
If we truly believe and have faith that we are living in the last days and that the second coming of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus could happen at any second, then we will naturally give ourselves over to prayer. When we finally realize the magnitude of eternity charging towards us, we will never again take our prayer life lightly. Giving ourselves to worship means that our hearts, minds, bodies, souls, and spirits are ready and watching for the coming of Christ Jesus. It means that we are observing the world around us and assuring that we are not taken in by any of its lures as we gauge our readiness for the second coming of Jesus.
This verse most likely refers to the Rapture and the end times tribulation; it could also represent the coming of some persecution for Christians. There will always be rocky roads we must travel down occasionally, and when we go through the darkest of valleys. God wants us to be ready when these tough times come our way, and prayer is the key that allows us access to the door that leads us into the light of Christ Jesus. Pray can lead us into the preparation and bring about a sense of peace to our lives that those without Christ Jesus will not understand.
We must function on the truth of the Word of God as the Holy Spirit leads us. If we choose to perform in the world's ways, we will fail miserably when these tribulations intercept our paths. The world and worldly people cannot carry us during times of disaster; the only safety net we have is in the loving arms of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. The most beautiful and encouraging aspect of this is that He will always be there to carry us through any trial or tribulation that will come our way in the future.
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