1 Peter 5:6 ff – 6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
God must resist the proud, for Proverbs 21:4 says, haughty eyes and a proud heart– the unplowed field of the wicked–produce sin. But He “giveth grace to the humble.” Humility is like dry ground that thirstily takes in the rain, like a dry sponge that soaks up the water. Christian humility is to show itself under fire, “under the mighty hand of God” (v. 6). j This mighty hand of God revealed in life’s lesser and heavier burdens, e. g., sickness, unemployment, wars, famines, family troubles, etc. Natural reaction is to suffer it stoically or cheerlessly, grumblingly or rebelliously. Christians are to
“humble themselves” under these cares. How? “Casting all your care upon him” (v. 7),thereby confessing the utter need of God. How is this possible? Not by own power. Power for such humble dependence upon the Lord is found in His care, “for He cares for you” (v. 7 b).
