#DailyDevotion Don’t Worry. God Is In Caretrol
1 Peter 5:6-116Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand so that He may honor you at the right time. 7Turn all your worry over to Him because He cares for you. 8Keep a clear head and watch! Your enemy, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9Be strong in your faith and resist him, knowing that your fellow Christians in the world are going through the same kind of suffering. 10After you have suffered a little while, the God of all Grace, Who called you in Christ Jesus to share His everlasting glory, will make you perfect, firm and strong. 11He has the power forever. Amen.
That’s a bit of a contrast. You humble yourself under God’s almighty hand and he honors you at the right time. The world doesn’t teach us to be humble. It tells you to blow your own horn because no one else will. Well I guess if you are wanting the world’s attention that is what you should do. But if you want God’s attention and honor, humble yourself under his power. To humble yourselves in this manner is to submit to whatever is happening to you, good or bad. You are doing that recognizing it is God’s will for you at that moment. That’s a pretty tough pill to swallow at times.
To help us do that Peter next tells us to turn all our worries, our anxieties over to God because he cares for you. People often say, “Don’t worry, God is in control.” Certainly the previous verse tells us about God’s power but that doesn’t mean he is going to use that power or control for your benefit. However, this verse is the thing that comforts us. God cares for you. He has all power and he uses that power in a manner in which he cares for you. God doesn’t seek to control your life (unlike how a lot of people think these days because they oppose his ways). He wants to take care of you. You let God take care of you when your turn everything over to him. You Father in heaven knows what you need but you need to know and believe that. So, whatever is causing your heart to not be at peace, turn it over to him. Let him deal with it. He has the power and control to deal with it. He knows all the outcomes of your request and what will happen if he answers you the exact way you want to be answered. He will answer your prayers in the manner which is best for you and for his kingdom. He’s not the genie in the bottle that grants you wish in the way that entertains him the most.
Having turned your cares over to your Heavenly Father, be sober-minded and keep watch. The devil is always looking for an opportunity to turn you away from your Father in heaven and make a meal of you. Be strong in your faith and resist him. We do that by continually turning to God and trusting him in the name of Jesus. Other Christians are suffering just like you throughout the world. They also are having to trust God in impossible situations. You are not alone. You have this promise from Peter to help you keep strong and persist: “the God of all Grace, Who called you in Christ Jesus to share His everlasting glory, will make you perfect, firm and strong.” Think about that. God has called you to share his everlasting glory. We are prepared for that glory through suffering. (2 Cor. 4:17) In and through this suffering he makes you perfect, firm and strong. You can depend on that. To God be a power, glory and dominion. Amen.
Heavenly Father, when the season of doubt, trouble, and suffering comes upon us, remind us to turn these things that disturb our souls to your care under you great power so we be at peace with them and resist the devil who desires to devour us and instead humble ourselves before you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.