I PETER 5:6-11: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. To him be dominion forever. Amen.” CSB

OBSERVATION: What does worry have to do with humility? How does humility affect my ability to cast my cares upon the Lord? How does the enemy try to overcome me in this process? These are some of the questions that come to mind as I read these verses.

We all know that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. What I struggle with is what does true humility look like? Perhaps it is defined more by what we hold on to than by what we do. The opposite of humility is pride. Pride is not always defined by overt actions of boasting or arrogance. Pride can be subtle. It can be cloaked in a semblance of humility. And, herein lies the greatest challenge.

Peter juxtaposes humility with the cares of our life. These are not the trivial things of our daily existence. These are the things that keep us up at night. They are our deepest struggles, worries, and fears. As we wrestle with them we come to a place of decision and choice. Will we cast these cares upon the Lord, or will we hold on to them and keep trying to deal with them in our own strength? This is where pride and humility meet.

Pride is our unwillingness to really release our worries and fears completely to the Lord. We pray about them, but then we pick them up, put them in our bag, and go on our way – all the while trying to figure out how we are going to deal with them. We keep a tether on our worries and fears and pull them back whenever we become insecure. This is not humility. This is pride. All self reliance is pride. Humility is not simply praying about something. True humility is laying it down at the cross and refusing to pick it up again.

Rest assured, this is the hardest thing to do in life. We have an adversary, a roaring lion, who is always trying to stoke our fears and keep us from humbling ourselves before the Lord. The lion roars, our fears and anxieties are stoked, and we run to the altar and pick up our cares all over again. This is the vicious cycle the enemy tries to keep us living in. Yet, there is hope! God resists the proud – but He gives grace to the humble. And, it is true humility that overcomes our worries and our fears!

Why can we cast our cares upon Him? First, because He cares for us. His love and concern for us was once and forever declared upon the cross. He gave His all so that we could walk in the light, love, and liberty of His Spirit. There is nothing that He will withhold from those who call upon His name. Yet, it takes faith to receive this provision. Faith calls us to cast all of our cares upon Him, knowing that He cares for us. Faith calls us to believe that He is all that we need and that He will reward those who diligently seek Him.

We also have the assurance of this truth through the lives of those who have walked before us. Countless saints of God have resisted the enemy, steadfast in their faith, and seen the wonderful provision of God’s grace lead them into His victory and provision. The battle is not forever. Victory, healing, comfort, encouragement, and restoration are the heritage and promise of God’s children!

• “The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. To him be dominion forever. Amen.”

When I was a small boy learning how to fish, I struggled with casting my line into the water. I kept my thumb tightly on the reel and my cast was very ineffective. I had to learn to fully release my thumb from the lever on the reel and truly let go of the line. When I learned this skill my lure began to reach its destination. In life, I need to learn how to let go of the cares, worries, and fears in my life. If I keep a tight hold on them I give the enemy the opportunity to keep me in a constant battle that I cannot win. Yet, if I cast all my cares upon Him, if I resist the devil by refusing to pick them up again, if I look to those who have gone before me, I will rise up in His grace and be established in His victory!

Lord, help me to make a good cast today!

In Jesus Name!