This morning I read through Peter's first letter to the church. It is so interesting when you read through one of the letters all in one sitting, you can get a much better sense of the man who wrote it, and His overall theme. I spend so much time in Paul's writings, it is nice to read another author. My quick synopsis of Peter is that he is more a man of faith than of logic, a man who has suffered and persevered, and seen God's hand caring for him through it all.
The two verses that stood out to me today we the following - 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV:
[6] "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. [7] Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
As I read these verses, the part about casting all your anxiety on Him, is what resonated the strongest in my heart. I don't suffer from anxiety, but I have plenty to occupy my mind, and I think that qualifies as something I can unload into His caring hands. The original Greek could be translated as 'casting your cares on Him, because He cares for you' and that is more in line with my life. I have many cares that I am concerned with, and the point is simply that God has the same cares, because He cares for me. What an incredible thought - God cares for me, and because He does, He is willing to help me with my load.
A good example of what this is like is when I have a hard day at work, my sweetheart will take time to listen to me because she cares for me and loves me. My cares become her cares and vice versa. Peter is saying that our relationship with God can be exactly like that.
Secondly, his point about humbling ourselves under God's mighty hand is in recognition of God's capability and care. We don't need to prove our worth, don't need to yell to get His attention, don't need to try to do everything on our own, but rather can trust in His power and authority to lift us up, to give us strength, to give us His perspective. He really does care for us, and will not withhold His power from us.
As I was thinking about this the following imagery came to mind. It is like I am wading into a fistfight, and God is behind me and is obviously taller and has a longer reach. I can try to take on the opponent myself, or I can duck down and let the Lord swing at the opponent. In ducking down, I am bowing in front of His mighty hand(s) so that He can use them. If I stand in front of Him, I keep getting in the way. It might not be exactly what Peter was thinking about when He wrote these lines some many years ago, but that imagery really helps me!
So today I am encouraged to cast my cares upon Him, to duck down (humble myself) so He can work. I am encouraged to do this because He cares for me!
Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment