“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
A lot of people quote this scripture to ease themselves of whatever anxiety or worry they have: “Casting all your cares because He cares for you”. It’s one of the most powerful verses I have ever encountered, that I can cast ALL my cares and worries and problems on God. That I can leave everything up to God. Not just because He is all-powerful but more importantly because He cares for me. What a privilege to be cared for by the Creator of the universe.
Reading both verses 6&7 as one sentence –because it is in fact, one sentence –reveals its double implication. It is important to first submit oneself under the mighty hand of God, only then does it become easier to cast our cares. In the same vein, it is difficult to submit under the mighty hand of God when one is not willing to cast his cares on God.
Submission helps us to cast our cares
God is telling us to submit ourselves under His hand and then cast our cares. Worry and anxiety take us out of the reach of God. Many times, those worries are self-centered. You begin to think, “What if I don’t make it? What if I was wrong? What if I can’t get there?” These things cause us to look at our own strengths and weaknesses and can’s and cannot’s. They cause us to look inwards instead of looking upwards.
Of course, it then makes it impossible to cast those cares on God, because our attention is not even on Him from the start. The “casting of cares” becomes easier when we have submitted ourselves to Him.
Submitting under God’s hands means allowing His guidance. It means letting God lead you all the way. If you are going to a place for the first time, you may worry about missing your way or mixing up the roads, or arriving late for the event. However, if you were following someone who is very familiar with the roads, knows all the alternative routes and all, you will feel really assured. You will even sleep through the journey because you know you can never miss your way.
It’s the same with our walk with God. Whether it be our spiritual destination (the kingdom of God) or our destined destination on earth (our purposes or goals), God knows the way. He knows all the alternative routes. Even when one plan doesn’t work out or you mess it up, He can get you right back on track. He can maneuver His way through any blockade. He’s that awesome. But how would you know if you never let Him guide you?
Submitting yourself under God’s hands means humility, and staying under. It means decreasing that He may increase (Jn. 3:30). To be able to cast your cares on God, you will have to be humble enough to say I will gladly boast of my weakness that the strength of God may be revealed in me (2 Cor. 12:9b). You have to be humble enough to actually table the matter before God without thinking it’s something you can handle. You have to remain under. Under His authority. Under His instruction. When you involve God in your matter, you have to learn to step back and let Him take the floor. It moves from being your worry to God’s business.
Submission is easier when we cast our cares
It’s hard to submit under God’s mighty hand when we cling on to our worries. It’s a subtle expression of pride and distrust. “God, I can’t trust you enough to handle this matter, let me see what I can do”. It’s as good as saying that. David tried to hold on to his cares but he figured it would do him no good. The moment he left all of those cares behind, submitting to God became much easier. (1Sam 21; Psa. 56)
However, the work of casting those cares is easier said than done, nevertheless, not impossible. It can be difficult and that’s why Peter uses the perfect word to describe it “casting”. If he said “giving” it may have implied that it’s an easy task. But just as intentional and strenuous as the act of casting can be, we are told to do so. Charles Spurgeon in a sermon said:
“Prayer tells God what the care is, and asks God to help, while faith believes that God can and will do it. Prayer spreads the letter of trouble and grief before the Lord, and opens all its budget, and then faith cries, ‘I believe that God cares, and cares for me; I believe that he will bring me out of my distress, and make it promote his own glory.’”
C. H Spurgeon.
The wonderful thing about God is that the more you honor Him, the more He honors you. The scripture says He will exalt in due time (verse 6). After a period of submitting, of constantly staying under, making it about God, not about you, allowing His guidance, the lifting up comes. God knows how to reward the diligent. I employ you to let go of those worries and anxieties, there’s little they can do for you anyway (Matt. 6:27). But casting them all on God does wonders (Pro. 3:5-6).
Prayer: Lord, help me to submit to You even as I continue to cast all on my cares on You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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