Peter understood what it meant to be unprepared for the questions that matter most. When a servant girl asked if he knew Jesus, fear made him stumble over his words and deny his Lord three times. Perhaps this failure burned in his memory as he wrote these words about being "ready always" to give an answer. The hope Peter speaks of here is not mere optimism or positive thinking—it is the settled confidence that comes from knowing our sins are forgiven, our future is secure, and our lives have eternal meaning.

This readiness begins in the quiet places of our hearts, where we "sanctify the Lord God"—setting Him apart as the supreme treasure of our souls. When Christ truly occupies the throne of our hearts, people notice. They see something different in how we handle disappointment, how we treat difficult people, how we face uncertainty. A nurse working the night shift noticed how her Christian colleague remained calm and compassionate even during the most stressful emergencies. Over months of working together, she began asking questions: "How do you stay so peaceful? Where does your strength come from?" Those questions became doorways into conversations about faith, hope, and the God who sustains us through every trial. The colleague had never preached a sermon or led a Bible study, but her life had become a sermon that opened hearts to hear the gospel.