I am a bit sad to see the book of 1Peter come to its conclusion. The last 4 days have been particularly rich in God’s Word, so with a twinge of sadness I pressed into chapter 5. As I read it for the 2nd time it became clear to me that verses 6-7 were my meditation spot for today.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (6-7).
Generally for me humbling myself is not easy. So words about humility don’t usually grab my attention. But the imagery of verse 6 set so easily in my heart. I think it was the phrase under God’s mighty hand. That imagery was particularly vivid for me today. God’s mighty hand… the hand that moved the stone and carried Jesus from the grave. The hand that lifted Jesus from this earth and brought him back to His seat at the right of God’s throne. The hand that parted the Red Sea and allowed Israel to pass safely through it and then pushed the waters back drowning the Egyptian army. Under that hand I have no choice but to humble myself.
That mighty hand is also the one that carried me out from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of Jesus (see Colossian 1:13-14). That mighty hand protects the church and will not allow her to be defeated by the devil. And that hand, reminds Peter, is the one that will lift us up in due time.
Oh, my, how can I not humble myself for my mighty God!
And in my humble estate, God invites me to cast all your anxiety on him. What an offer! What an invitation! I can cast ALL my anxiety on Him! I no longer have to carry those cares.
When I am bull-headed and refuse to humble myself, I have to carry all my anxiety alone. That is a burden that weighs me down and sucks the joy out of my life, but when I humble myself, God carries my anxiety for me. WHAT A GIFT!
So today as I draw to my conclusion… I bow before my Lord with the offering of anxiety for Him to carry for me…
Oh, God… I bow gratefully before You. You alone are Lord God Almighty. You alone can stop the sun, and part the sea and raise the dead! All my concerns about the future, and all my nervousness with the things of today, I offer them to You. Thank You. Bless You. Praise You, Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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