1 Peter 5:6 says this..Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

V:7…Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

As we look at the first verse, we see some instructions for us. We have a responsibility to humble ourselves. We are to make the choice to put ourselves under the place of complete protection and power; under the mighty hand of God.

Do you want to be under His hand? If we are not in submission to Him but are off doing our own thing, there is no option for us to be exalted. But if we are living in humble obedience to Him, we will see that ‘in due time’… in His time, He will lift us higher than we can ever lift ourselves.

The next verse is so powerful, and here is where we have the great opportunity to go fishing. The word ‘cast’ means this: “to put, deposit, or throw with force or violence; to fling or hurl.” God tells us to throw, fling, or hurl, ALL our cares (not just out there randomly), but TO Him. All the things I care about, worry about, and all the things that concern me are to be placed up and on Him. God doesn’t just tell us to get rid of them because they are worthless or foolish; He wants us to place them where they are wanted. He wants them because He wants all of us, and He is perfectly capable of doing with our cares what we cannot do. Holding onto them limits us in many ways; casting them to our great God removes the limitations that they bring.

For Today: Have you ever violently flung your cares out to God? Doesn’t that sound great though? Just grab them all in a bunch and do one of those 99 mph baseball throws to the One who has the biggest glove EVER! He is the Catcher, the ‘Receiver’ if you will of all that pertains to His children.

The next verse is very important as well, but if we aren’t careful we may not see how these two verses relate to one another. V: 8: Be sober; be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Friends, with our cares gone and the freedom to focus on the bigger issue, we can now be very serious about something else; the real threat. We have an enemy who desires not to merely hurt us, but to devour us; to tear us to shreds as a lion would if it found us. Could it be that the cares that we hold onto cause us to be blind to the thing we should be most aware of?

God has given us clear directions and instructions for our good. He wants to take away our burdens, and replace them with His peace. He wants us to be sober and alert to the schemes of the enemy; and know that today under His mighty Hand; the humble are given His grace. And praise the Lord, one day soon…. in due time… we will be exalted right alongside the One who is worthy of all honor and glory.