Shell Shocked?

I Peter 4:12 -- "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you."

I'm really not sure how the video made it onto a "funny" clip show, because there really isn't any humor in it - but over and over again this few seconds of imagery has been portrayed as hysterical - and once again I sat watching a pre-teen girl try to bully a horse by slapping at his "shoulder". The horse stood there in stoic patience the first few times the girl slapped him, but by the third time she reached out to smack at his haunches, he whipped his head around, grabbed her hair with his teeth, and yanked hard enough to send her sprawling to the ground. I have to admit, I found myself cheering for the horse and mumbling my frustration at the camera operator who did nothing to prevent the scene from playing out to it's inevitably violent end. Que the canned laughter...

The girl was not seriously injured, at least not physically. Her pride may have needed a good dusting off. The thing is, I could not believe that this pre-teen was actually surprised that the horse turned around and retaliated - mirroring her very negative behavior. It seems to me, that common sense would dictate if you poke at something hard enough, eventually that something will get angry and react - it might even poke back.  She really shouldn't have been surprised.

In the book of I Peter we are told NOT to be surprised that we hit hurtles that interrupt our steady pace from time to time. In fact, we're told that we shouldn't feel like we've been tossed into the Twilight Zone to experience some ultra-bizarre and unfair twist of fate when things seem to burn down around us. In fact, in First Peter 5:8 we are warned to "be of sober spirit" and to "be on the alert."

Why?

Because "our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour." [I Peter 5:8b].

This struck a chord. I thought of Moses coming down off the mountain to find his people had turned to worshiping a golden calf. It must have been a stark contrast to step straight from the glow and glory of God into an impatient people ready to turn their backs on God. But I wonder if we as readers shouldn't have been so surprised by this "low blow". It's often when we come down from our spiritual mountain top that we are hit head on with a huge storm that leaves us breathless and tired. 

Why? 

Because we poked. I'm not saying we intentionally poke Satan with a stick to get him stirred up and angry, but when we are on the right track and follow the will of God, Satan throws a tantrum and tries to disturb our progress. It's this very thing that Peter is trying to tell us. And the way Peter tells it is actually kind of encouraging. The New Living Translation puts it this way: I Peter 4:12-13 "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad - for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world."

I'll be the first to admit that I'm seldom jumping for joy when things go wrong or I'm blind-sided with a spiritual speed bump, but I have to say it really IS encouraging to know that being bombarded by a slew of Satan's fiery arrows just might mean that I'm doing something right. 

And for THAT I will jump for joy and dance a jig as I celebrate in the glow of my amazing Lord and Savior!