Nothing calms the anxiety and fear of the human heart more than knowing the end of the story. Some of us, and you know who you are, read the end of every book before reading the book from start to finish! However, joking aside, it makes sense that we, as humans, want to know the end of every story. We want to know how it will all turn out. Will it be a happy ending or a sad ending? Will the suffering and trials experienced by the protagonist be worth it or will the story just end in hopelessness and despair?
God, in His infinite mercy, grace, and wisdom, understood that we as humans need to have a concept of where we are going. He understood that we needed to know something, and He gave us the end of the story. Through the Scriptures, He showed humanity that He will be victorious in the end, and He will give a part in that victory to everyone who loves Him, serves Him, and is faithful to Him. Humanity has been shown that our story has a good ending for those who follow Jesus. To take a line from the old hymn, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.”
Peter understood that believers, both at the time he wrote to his church and in the future, would often forget this reality. He knew that just as he looked down at the waves instead of at Jesus’ face when He stepped out of the boat and walked on water, believers through all time would forget to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus and would look at this world and sink under the waves of anxiety and fear about the future. Peter wanted Christ-followers to have their gaze fixed on Jesus Christ so that no matter what was going on around them, they would remain effective at being a witness for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.