Humble Yourselves

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Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV)

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Devotion:

            These verses that are translated here are in the venerable King James tradition. Not woodenly accurate but wonderfully theologically balanced. As pleasant as the sound to the ears and the heart of these phrases, one must be attentive to the timeless truths found here.

            The first phrase is about humility before the Lord. In it one hears echoes of Micah 6.8, “walk humbly with your God.” The humility meant here is not the groveling kind of humility which abases itself in the presence of others. Rather, it is a humility that realizes a person's imperfections in the presence of a perfectly holy God and acts accordingly. A humility that simply recognizes the creatures place under the sovereign rule of the creator.

            The second phrase (Verse 7) instructs us to cast our cares (most modern translations have translated this as anxieties) on God. The Greek here is epiripto which literally means to throw upon someone or something else. Our God welcomes this. He longs to carry the burdens of His children. Jesus teaches that, “my yoke is easy, my burden is light.” God longs for us to give our problems and concerns over to Him. In return we get to carry the burden that He imposes on us, and He promises it will be light.

            These short verses promise the Lord’s people great things. Our God will surely deliver upon these promises. Our humility will ultimately lead to our exaltation, and God will receive our cares, anxieties, and other burdens gladly. His back is strong enough to take whatever we throw at Him. All our attention should be focused on walking where God has called us to walk. And walking there free from our burdens of sin, guilt, and shame. Let us come before the Lord humbly, casting all our cares in His direction.

Prayer:

            Lord God Almighty, teach us to walk humbly before you. May we always seek to bring glory to your holy name. May all our actions be done with humility. May we never be afraid to cast our burdens upon you. Trusting that You will carry them for us. Grant that we may live as your children giving you all the praise because of your great works among us. Thank you for loving us so much. Amen.

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