In 2 Pet. 1:6, the word Peter uses for steadfastness, hypomone, has been described as one of the noblest of all New Testament words. It has the idea of courage or steadfast endurance under trial. 

Life throws us all kinds of trials and as we traverse the wilderness of life, we end up falling into pits, either of our own making or those caused by the difficult situations we encounter. But, at the bottom of every pit is something precious and useful – information. Through trials, we can take that information into our hearts and minds to better understand how to continue our journey towards the Kingdom of God.

In fact, trials are so useful in our lives that we should “Count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:4).

It’s through the process of those trials that God produces steadfastness in us, just as James goes on to say – “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (v3). God is toughening us up by allowing us to experience difficulties. Paul says the same thing in a similar list to Peter’s, writing, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance [hypomone], and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom. 5:3-4). 

How can I develop that kind of perspective, to have courage under fire and even rejoice in my sufferings? There’s a reason why Peter waits until the middle of his list of attributes before getting to steadfastness. Remember: he starts with faith and if we develop faith in God, it means we learn to trust that he knows what he’s doing in our lives. When life hits us with problems, faith tells us that it’s for our ultimate benefit. The information at the bottom of the pit we fall into has been provided by God. 

Sometimes we can let the bad things that happen to us get us down. Developing hypomone, springing from faith in God, helps us overcome this tendency. What we have to keep telling ourselves is God is on our side. He knows what’s best for us and he won’t allow us to be tested beyond our ability to endure (1 Cor. 10:13). As Paul says in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”