“Humble yourselves, due to this fact, under the mighty hand of God in order that at the right time he may exalt you, casting all of your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
“I lift my worries as much as you since you look after me.” I pen those words in my prayer journal day by day.
“Give it to God” is a typical response we receive when going through a worrisome or troubled season in life. Learning the way to give our lives over to the Lord, especially when life is unexplainably difficult, is a crucial step of growth in our spiritual lives.
Personalizing Scripture in prayer has grow to be a technique of survival for me as I’ve grown to know the Lord throughout my life. These easy words aren’t to convey human emotion as accurately because the Bible captures. Our lives will not be accidental or coincidental. This powerful verse is a tremendous testament to the ability of the Word of God and His purpose for our lives. The Message paraphrase of the verses above reads:
“So be content with who you might be, and do not placed on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the fitting time. Live carefree before God; he’s most careful with you.”
Live carefree because He is careful with me. What a robust anthem to live by! The apostle John recorded Jesus’ words: “My purpose is to offer them a wealthy and satisfying life.” Other biblical translations say, “Life to the complete.” To live a full life, it’s essential to know what “give it to God” means.
Humble Yourselves
“The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.” Psalm 69:32 NLT
Humility is a tough character trait to master. Pride sneaks in through the cracks in our armor as much once we are boastful because it does once we are afraid. Scripture tells us to “Trust within the LORD with all of your heart; don’t rely upon your personal understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he’ll show you which of them path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT) Humbling ourselves before God means to let go of our agenda, doubt, arrogance, and fear. We don’t let go of it aimlessly but intentionally, giving it purposefully and genuinely to God. We humbly submit our lives to God because we all know Him and trust Him and His intentions. “In their suffering, God’s individuals are to offer themselves entirely to him, submitting to his clever ordering of their lives,” the ESV Study Bible explains, “Mighty hand of God brings to mind the exodus, where the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt ‘by a mighty hand’ (e.g., Ex. 3:19, 32:11; Deut. 4:34-5:15; Dan. 9:15).”
Humility is difficult since it requires us to release our grip on what’s best for our lives. Not every part we undergo the Lord will make sense to us instantly, or ever on this lifetime. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the LORD. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you may imagine.'” (Isaiah 55:8 NLT) Humble followers of Christ Jesus realize His way all the time supersedes our biggest expectations. “Those that suffer can likewise be confident that the day of humiliation won’t last without end,” the ESV Study Bible explains, “Whether later on this earthly life or on the last day, God will exalt his people at the right time.” Humility is difficult, especially in times of injustice and suffering. This world is stuffed with ways in which test our allegiance to the Lord. “When we humble ourselves before God,” Aaron D’Anthony Brown explains, “we acknowledge our need for Him – our need for Him to assist us carry our burdens.”
“Humble yourselves” means to embrace our reliance on the Lord. It means to trust Him, even once you don’t see an end or solution in the longer term. It acknowledges that only God knows the variety of our days on earth and reflects our commitment to follow Christ Jesus through each to the perfect of our ability. The Voice paraphrase reads:
“So bow down under God’s strong hand; then when the time comes, God will lift you up. Since God cares for you, let Him carry all of your burdens and worries.”
Casting All Your Anxieties
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“Don’t worry about anything; as an alternative, pray about every part. Tell God what you would like, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6 NLT
Casting immediately causes me to picture the fisherman in our lake town. Boaters, ourselves, we cruise past them each time we’re out on the water. They bob within the water, seemingly oblivious to the passing boat traffic, casting repeatedly into the water. They are casting to catch something. When we solid our anxieties – we don’t desire to reel them back in! “The participle ‘casting’ modifies the primary verbal phrase ‘humble yourselves from v. 6,” the ESV Study Bible explains, “Worry is a type of pride since it involves taking concerns upon oneself as an alternative of entrusting them to God.” Rick Renner explains the Greek root of the word casting:
“The word “casting” utilized in First Peter 5:7 was the Greek word epiripto, a compound of the words epi and ripto. The word epi means upon, as on top of something. The word ripto means to hurl, to throw, or to solid, and it often means to violently throw or to fling something with great force.”
When we solid our cares, as some translations of the Bible read, to the Lord, we aren’t aspiring to reel them back in. We are permanently casting them off, allowing the Lord to rearrange the landscape of our hearts as we trust Him with the realities of our lives. The Amplified Bible reads,
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], in order that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the suitable time, casting all of 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.]”
When fishermen solid their lines into the water, they cannot see beneath the surface. Technology and knowledge of their sport give them an excellent advantage in catching the fish they’re after. They still take a probability after they drop their line into the water. When we solid our cares and anxieties to the Lord, we are able to know with absolute confidence He fully receives them and thus relieves us of their burdens. Jesus got here so we’d live a full life, void of constant worry and dread, which weighs us down. “Give it to God” means to offer Him complete control of our lives. He’s given us free will but calls us to Himself. He does this so we are able to actively take part in His plan for our lives. Scripture reminds us,
“Now to him who can do immeasurably greater than all we ask or imagine, in response to the ability at work inside us, to him be glory within the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, without end and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV)
“Give it to God” means to offer Him the glory. In God’s image, we were created to bring glory to Him through the life He has purposefully given us. Letting go is not a straightforward thing for us to do. We not only hold on to the things and other people who bring joy and happiness to our lives but additionally cling to fret and anxiety, which steals from the complete life Christ Jesus died to offer us. There’s lots we will not control this side of heaven. The world’s hurt, injustice, disease, and evil are rampant and visual. It affects our lives and distracts us from God’s blessings day by day on this fallen world. When we give our all to God, He is faithful to bless us beyond our wildest dreams, a lot in order that we will not help but give Him the glory! Life throughout the love of Christ Jesus requires a number of letting go, an immense amount of trust, and complete buy-in. But in return, we get to live a full life. Full of joy, blessing, love, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. We give things to God because He is the Almighty, our Creator, faithful Father, and Savior.
When we give our lives to Christ Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, who adjusts our perspective of life as we seek the Lord day by day through Scripture and prayer. Relationships are give and take. Our relationship with God through Christ requires us to offer our preconceived notions to Him and, in exchange, trust Him with our lives. Instead of guilt, we receive grace upon grace. Rather than feeling hopeless, we’re always accompanied by Christ Himself. We are never alone, forsaken, or forgotten, irrespective of how hard and painful our lives might be sometimes.
“Give it to God” means trusting He cares for us. The English dictionary defines care like this:
Noun: “A mind-set during which one is trouble; worry, anxiety, or concern.”
Verb: “to be concerned or solicitous; have thought or regard; to be concerned or have a special preference.” God is anxious about our troubles, worries, anxieties, and concerns. When we cry out to Him, he gives us special preference. Psalm 18:6 reads:
“But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.” (NLT)
Give all of it to God, and cling to those truths. Live a full life beyond imagination. Give glory to God, from whom all good things flow. The apostle Paul wrote, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT) This is what it means to “Give it to God.”
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