“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”-{1 Peter 5:6-7}
Anxiety. Which of us cannot identify with the gut-wrenching fear-fueled emotion that can consume our thinking having a detrimental effect on our mind, emotions, and even physical well being.
The word “anxieties” comes from two words meaning “to divide” and “mind.” Anxieties divide the mind, pulling it in different directions, consuming and overloading our thinking and emotions. In Luke 10:27, we know that the ultimate purpose of our mind is to love God with, and that means renewing our mind through God’s Word to help us think right, have our thinking adjusted on who He is, who we are “In Christ,” and what He thinks about various issues. {Read Rom 12:2}. And so the attack is on our mind through the temptation to be “anxious.”
Peter reminds us that the followers of Christ were suffering and this book gives us some insight into what was happening and how God would have them respond and also why.
We read, “Humble yourselves under the Mighty Hand of God, and He will lift you up at the proper time, casting all of your cares{anxieties} upon Him because He cares for you.” {1 Peter 5:6-7}. How lovely to have someone who genuinely cares for you when you are going through a difficult time, but how even more wonderful is it to have the Eternal God care for you and who is all-powerful as the term “Mighty Hand of God,” indicates. It speaks of God’s presence and God’s Power- all-powerful as revealed in the Old Testament by its usage. So to have Him care for you and guide you into what to do with these anxieties is a wonderful, comforting truth. You don’t have to be enslaved by them, you don’t have to carry them, because the Eternal God who sent His Son to bear and carry your sins, has promised to carry your anxieties and the things that trouble you, He cares about, and is ready, willing, and able to carry them all for you, All of them. The word “All” in verse 6 means the “whole,” of them, not part or some but the “whole” complete lot of them. And why would He do this?”…Because HE cares for you!”
These believers were suffering, slandered, slavery abounded, there was an estimated 60 million slaves in that time, they were considered property and not people, they had no legal rights in the Roman court of law, and we see the safest place in such a degenerate society is in SUBMISSION to God, His Word, His Will, His ways…
If we look at some of the things that could cause them anxiety in this book we can see several, some we can identify with others perhaps not so. In I Peter 1:6 Peter speaks of the word “distressed,” that they were experiencing. The word speaks of severe emotional stress. So let’s look at some potential reasons for their anxieties,
Suffering ;
- Distressed- 1:6
- Fiery trials – 1:7
- Slandered- 2:11-15
- Slavery – 2:18
- Injustice- 2:19
- Beaten – 2:20
- Marital Strife – 3:1-9
- Fear and Intimidation- 3:14
- Slandered and Reviled for their good behavior- {Even when you do right, you are treated and accused 0f doing wrong} -3:16
- Surprised {Shocked} by Suffering – 1 Peter 4:12
- Persecuted for Christ is Not Unique- Universal- 1 Peter 5:9
These and much much more could and can cause anxieties, emotional stress, and cause a loss of spiritual equilibrium, and emotional trauma, the feeling of being out of control of a situation, to be overwhelmed, anxieties are distressful and rob us of joy, peace and focusing on loving God by thinking rightly about Him and Truthfully about Him! Like the disciples in the boat when they were hit with such a storm it caused them to be fearful and they woke Him up and with accusation said, “Don’t you care?” They doubted the care of God. And anxiety often starts with a “question” about God’s character. An attack on His character, just as in the garden when Satan asked Eve, “Did God really say?”- {Genesis 3:1} . The demonic suggestion, “does He mean what He says, surely not,” the implication, to seek to undermine Him and tempt Eve to act in defiance of God’s Word for her and Adam. Beware of the “questionings” to doubt God’s care, which comes to your mind, The goal is destructive, to dishonor Him by tempting you and me to act independently of Him and His Word. The evil one sought to tempt her to question God’s goodness. Nothing has changed. Anxieties are an attack on His character,to question His character and goodness… and the accusation, “Don’t You care?”
To be relieved of these anxieties we have to submit to Him and humble ourselves, the way it is written grammatically is “allow yourselves to be humbled ” and this we do as we submit “Under the mighty hand of God.” He promises He will lift us up in His time, “the proper time!” He alone knows when that time is! And the way it is written grammatically is one evidence of humbling ourselves is to cast our anxieties upon Him! In verse 5 God says He is “Opposed to the proud,” and the proud will not submit to Him, instead of believing that they are capable in their own wisdom, resources, to carry the situation themselves and it only increases the anxiety. It takes faith in self to live that way and it means to reject God and His provision of His promises and guidance from His Word! “But God…” has peace for our mind and hearts for you and me for those who cast their anxieties upon Him by humbly trusting Him with them!- {Read Phil 4:6-7}.
Anxieties Question God’s character, goodness, ability,…His care for you.
God’s answer is to Give Him your anxieties, “all” of them ” because He Cares for You!”
The Answer to our Anxieties? To humble ourselves under the mighty, powerful, protective Hand of God and believe His promise, that in His time He will lift us up…and in light of Him, we can cast all of our anxieties upon Him… because He cares for you and me.
Carry your anxieties or Cast them all on Him who cares for you, is the only question that needs to be answered!
Question God or Submit to God?
Is there any good that can come out of anxieties? Yes, if it turns us to talk to Him, and trust His Word because He cares for us and THROW all of those anxieties by faith unto Him. Say, “LORD, these are too much for me, and I am not sufficient for them and You don’t want me to carry them, not even one of them. So, by faith, I submit myself to You and I now give You them, each and everyone that seeks to crush me and divert my thinking rightly concerning You. Thank You that You care for me and have made a way that I need not submit and be controlled or crushed by anxiety! Thank You for Your provision, promise, and that you continually care for me!”