Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

“I can do it, I can do it!”

Those were my exact words, directed to my dad as a child, while I stood clenching a fishing rod, on the bank of a lake in the Rocky Mountains. I’d watched my dad’s technique so many times I was sure I could cast into the lake and catch a big trout.

It was too late. I’d already cast the line along with the rod into a bush behind me. One big tangled mess.

“Help!” “Fix it!” was my next cry.

Embarrassed, I admitted my foolishness and yielded to the wise instruction of my dad, the expert fisherman. The results were worth the extra step and time. Over the years, I learned the art of trout fishing in Colorado. For some reason, however, my fish were always smaller than Dad’s.

I want to do things my way first. I want to be in control. I want to be right.

1 Peter 5:6 holds the key to ridding ourselves of the worries we carry, but we tend to skip this instruction to focus on verse 7. It isn’t possible to cast our cares on God without first allowing ourselves to be humbled before Him. We miss this crucial word to us in our desperation for relief.

Humility precedes casting. Hearts submitted to God allow us to genuinely throw our cares—distracting anxieties—upon Him. The wise Augustine once declared, “Humility is first, second, and third in Christianity.”

There is no freedom in merely repeating the words of these two verses. Instead, I tell Him I have gotten in His way and that I desire to “kneel” before Him.  

“You are God, and I am not. I throw my anxious distractions upon You, Lord,” is my humble prayer. As I continue, my divided heart becomes whole. The weight is lifted. Peace comes from the One Who cares.

Karen Sims