Casting Our Anxieties on God

God “gives grace to the humble,” 1 Peter 5:5 tells us, and indeed we cannot benefit from God’s grace apart from humility. The first act of saving faith displays humility, for we must confess our inability to put ourselves right with God in order to rest in Jesus alone for salvation (Rom. 4; Eph. 2:8–9). We must humble ourselves, in other words, to receive Jesus Christ as Savior, for He is God’s grace embodied and is given only to the humble (Titus 2:11–14). Humility must also characterize the Christian life after conversion. Only humble people recognize their ongoing need of forgiveness, confess their sin, and experience pardon (1 John 1:8–9).

Since God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5), we can receive grace only if we humble ourselves before Him. Peter in today’s passage tells us to do exactly that—to humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God” (v. 6). The phrase “mighty hand” harks back to the exodus from Egypt, when the Lord delivered Israel by His “mighty hand” (Ex. 3:19; Deut. 4:34). Surrendering ourselves to the Lord in humility constitutes no true loss, for we are handing ourselves over to the omnipotent Creator for safeguarding.

Peter then says that God will at the “proper time” exalt those who humble themselves before Him (1 Peter 5:6). Note that Peter does not give a date for this “proper time.” That is because our exaltation awaits the day of final judgment, and no one knows that day or hour (Matt. 25:13). On that day, the Lord will vindicate His people, rewarding their trust and showing all creation that we were right to believe His promises, to walk by faith and not by sight (vv. 31–46).

Humility, the Apostle teaches, requires us to cast all our anxieties on the Lord, who cares for His people (1 Peter 5:7). We may not always realize it, but anxiety actually manifests pride. Anxiety arises because we trust in ourselves to fix our own problems but then realize that we cannot do it because we are frail creatures. Thankfully, God has not called us to fix everything ourselves but simply to trust in Him and obey His Word. He cares for us, and that is some of the best news we can ever hear. Matthew Henry comments: “[God] is willing to release you of your care, and take the care of you upon himself. He will either avert what you fear, or support you under it. He will order all events to you so as shall convince you of his paternal love and tenderness towards you; and all shall be so ordered that no hurt, but good, shall come unto you.”