7 Cast all your anxiety on him because HE CARES FOR YOU. 1 Peter 5:7 NIV
7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. AMP
7 Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you. TLB
6-7 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live CAREFREE before God; he is most CAREFUL with you. MSG
We saw yesterday that Peter quoted David’s words from Psalm 55:22; they were just as relevant to the early Church as they had been for David. He had faced external enemies and also betrayal by friends who’d gone up with him to the House of the Lord. Jesus too faced attacks by religious people, who wanted a righteousness of their own and later betrayal by one of the Twelve, Judas.
In the preceding verse Peter told the believers to ‘Humble themselves under God’s mighty hand’. 1 Peter 5:6 The apostle Peter believed that humility had to come before other things in the Christian walk. However, he wanted to assure believers in Christ that they were deeply loved and cared for by the God who holds all of creation in His hands.
Peter was speaking by the Spirit to a Church, ‘to the elders among you’, I too am an elder (he was much more) but he appealed as an equal, like one of them.
2 be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – NOT BECAUSE YOU MUST, BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE WILLING, AS GOD WANTS YOU TO BE; not pursuing dishonest gain, but EAGER TO SERVE; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but BEING EXAMPLES TO THE FLOCK (God sees the heart, even of leaders). 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory (will be for those who served with honest motives before the Lord) that will never fade away.
Then Peter spoke to the young men, telling them to ‘be submissive to those who are older’. Finally he speaks to everyone so that no one is left out;
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because,
‘God opposes the proud
but shows favour to the humble.’ 1 Peter 5:5
People see our clothes and if we’ve ‘clothed ourselves with humility’ it will be evident to others. Peter spoke much about humbling themselves, to people who at times were in danger because of their faith. He affirmed God’s care and love for His people, but emphasised the need to walk humbly before Him.
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6
Bottom line, we need to walk in humility to walk with our loving God.
God bless and keep you today.