Verse of the Day

5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:5-7 (NKJV)

Quote of the Day

“Our time frames are not in touch with ultimate reality. Our perspective on timing compared with God’s is analogous to a two-year-old’s with an adult’s. God has good reasons for making us wait a long time to see some prayers answered.”

— Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God

Reflection

Scripture repeatedly connects humility with receiving God’s grace, while pride places us in opposition to Him. Pride also tempts us to take on responsibilities that were never ours to carry. Pride says, “You need to do something about X. You’re in the driver’s seat — it’s all on you.” Meanwhile, humility recognizes that God already holds the timeline and the plan. We are free to do our best and rest, knowing that His grace is sufficient and He will provide what we truly need (Philippians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 12:9).

The questions then become:

• Will you cast your cares upon the Lord and trust Him, or will you continue to worry about things beyond your control?
• Will you invest your time, money, energy, resources, and attention in faithfully addressing what is before you today, or exhaust yourself trying to micromanage future circumstances that may never come to pass?

Our quote today touches on one facet of our topic. God’s timing is unfathomably superior to ours. The Bible is clear that we should let tomorrow worry about itself because each day carries enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). This begins to answer our first question in a healthy way. Trusting in the Lord and taking appropriate action are not mutually exclusive.

In other words, we don’t have to ignore one to welcome the other. The pivotal point is to ensure that those actions aren’t driven by worry. We should not allow worry to erode our trust in God. God is far too capable for us to doubt Him (Ephesians 3:20). His track record is perfect. I am certain that even when it appears as though all else has failed, He has an excellent reason for making us wait (Isaiah 30:18). He may allow things to transpire that we don’t fully understand. Still, it remains our responsibility to continue walking by faith in those moments.

We don’t have to look far to understand this phenomenon. Look at Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (Luke 23:44-46). What looked like the worst day on the surface was actually the means through which God accomplished our salvation and secured our eternal hope in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:12). Viewed solely through a human lens, the crucifixion would have looked like defeat. Only in hindsight do we see that God’s plan was far better than anything we could have imagined (Romans 10:9).

God the Father raised His Son three days later in victory over sin and death. That victory extends to all who belong to Him (1 Peter 1:3). Jesus Christ was the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2); He satisfied God’s righteous wrath against sin, something we could never accomplish for ourselves. Through faith in Christ, we are given eternal life—a life characterized by knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3).

Application

Those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior have all the more reason to humble ourselves. Whether God exalts us in this life or in the life to come, the timing and outcome belong to Him. We are called to cast our cares upon God and remain obedient to Him. The Word of God tells us, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6-10). It also poses the question, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). We have to ask ourselves:

• Are we genuinely fulfilled in Jesus Christ? Is He enough for us?
• Do we spend our time pursuing God’s calling for us or have we neglected our mission?
• Is the priority in our lives to accumulate material wealth and chase temporal, fleeting, and worldly avenues of satisfaction?
• Are we walking in the faith that we claim to believe?

If we don’t take inventory of these things, it’s easy to lose focus on what matters most. We need to remember that we are in the process of sanctification and honestly examine whether our lives increasingly reflect the Christ we profess to follow (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Although sanctification does not happen overnight, we should not expect to remain the same people we were before we were saved (Romans 6:10-11). We are ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). If He has begun a good work in us, He will see it through to completion (Philippians 1:6). Our growth does not earn salvation, but a life being sanctified should increasingly bear evidence that God is at work within us.

Some prayer requests may not be granted because our motives are misplaced (James 4:3). At other times, God may delay an answer because He is preparing us—or because His purposes differ from ours. Even His refusal or delay can be a demonstration of His grace, mercy, and love.

If we want to redeem our time here on earth, we cannot allow the past to haunt us or the future to consume us with worry (Ephesians 5:15-16). We must make the best of each moment and press onward toward the goal God has set before us (Philippians 3:13-14). In due season we will reap if we don’t grow weary (Galatians 6:9).

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank You, Father, for Your grace. Please help me pursue a disposition of humility daily. Please help me not to think of myself more highly than I ought to and esteem others more highly than myself. Without Your supernatural support and provision, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t know how people attempt to navigate this world without Your presence in their lives.

Please help me remember that obedience is better than sacrifice. Teach me to offer You both, never using outward sacrifice as a substitute for obedience. Thank You for the grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness available when I fall short.

Please help me to cast my cares upon You, Father. Far too often I seek to resolve my issues before I consult You. Please help me to remember that prayer is transformative and powerful. I want to make sure to seek Your kingdom and righteousness first. It always helps me keep everything else in its proper place when I do.

Thank You for the prayers You have answered and for the requests You have chosen not to grant. I would much rather continue to pray and remember that Your ways are higher and Your timing is better than mine. Your presence in my life is unmistakable; thank You for showing me the value of humility, and please help me to walk in it. It’s not always easy for me, but I know with Your help I can do anything You desire of me.

I pray in Jesus Christ’s precious, holy, and mighty name.

Amen.

Go deeper with the companion teaching: In Due Time.