"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
1 Peter 5:6-7
Part 2
Yesterday:
“Humble yourselves, therefore.”
What? I practice humility.
“Under the mighty hand of God.”
Where? Under God’s mighty hand, in His care.
Today:
“That He may exalt you in due time.”
While the arrogant struggle and fight, walking on people as they seek to exalt themselves, the humble wait to be promoted by someone else.
“For whosoever, exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
When the time was right, here is what God did for His Son,
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).
How often do our hearts become impatient and anxious because we have not seen God promote us yet? Why is it that we think we are wiser than God? Doesn’t He know better than any of us when the time is right to exalt us? And think about it, just the fact that we have questions like this in our minds demonstrates how we still wrestle with humility and pride in our own hearts. We cannot walk on water yet, and we are far from perfect. Remember this call to be exalted is God’s call, not ours.
“Casting all your care upon Him.”
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
We are to lay everything on our Lord’s shoulders. Whatever testing or trial comes to your life, give it to the Lord. If we are forsaken by friends or family, give it to the Lord. If you are losing your health or wealth, lay that on the Lord. If you have impossible pressures and jobs you must get done, let the Lord have your burden. Do you feel like you are weak and have no strength to do what God has given you? Lay it on the Lord. Always remember grace and strength come from Him. He will provide us with what we need to carry our backpacks for Him.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
“Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Why don’t we cast our cares on the Lord more often? Could it be that in our pride, we think we can handle it on our own? Come back tomorrow, and let’s think about God’s care for us.
Quote: “‘Humble yourself’ – it is a humbling experience to knock at God’s door – you have to knock with the crucified thief. ‘To him that knocketh, it shall be opened’” (Oswald Chambers).