Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

As you read the above verses, what stands out to you? I know that for myself, I am thrilled about the prospect of giving God all my worries. I could do with a lot less of those. 

So when I read this passage, my mind immediately begins focusing on how good it would feel to be completely worry-free, even if for a short period of time.

But then I inevitably begin to doubt what I’ve read. Can it really be possible to live without any anxieties at all? Is God really telling us He wants us to live in perfect peace?

As much as I believe in my heart that He does want us to be worry-free, I’ll admit it is quite difficult to wrap my head around this concept. 

My mind fights hard against the notion of relying completely on God and banishing all anxiety from my life.

I believe that the key to truly understanding these truths down deep in your spirit lies in the first part of the passage. 

Before Peter tells us to cast all our anxieties on the Lord, he says that we must humble ourselves before Him.

So what does it mean to truly humble ourselves before God? 

According to dictionary.com, to humble yourself means “to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.” 

An alternate definition is “to destroy the independence, power, or will of.”

A third definition says the word means “to make meek.”

These definitions give us a lot to digest. One thing that is clear is that if we’re to humble ourselves to God we must give up our will and live by His will. 

We must understand, accept, and act on the fact that God is greater than us.

Fully submitting ourselves to God is not easy, as the flesh fights continually to insert its independence.

Let’s not overlook the fact that Peter tells us to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. 

When our lives are completely in submission to God, His hand will protect and guide us, making sure that everything works out for our good (Rom. 8:28).

There is no better and safer place to be than under God’s hand. He will take care of us as long as we humble ourselves before Him.

It is then that we can cast all our cares on Him, because we are completely in submission to His will. 

We can fully count on Him to take care of us, providing everything we need in life (Matt. 6:33).

Humbling ourselves can be difficult, but remembering that God is the all-powerful creator of the universe can help us remember who we are in relation to Him.

Then we will have His perfect peace.