Casting Our Anxieties On Him

[Read 1 Peter 5:1-11]

Overconfidence is a dangerous thing. We’ve all experienced—or watched others experience—the results of someone’s overconfidence. We’ve watched someone confidently try to do a cartwheel, only to watch them hurt themself. We’ve watched someone confidently try to jump over something, only to watch them fall short. We’ve watched this a number of times. 

The Apostle Peter, who wrote this letter, knows all about overconfidence. Remember the incident right before Jesus’ crucifixion? ““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”” (Luke 22:31–34, NIV). Do you hear Peter’s overconfidence? He says, “There’s no way that Satan is going to affect me. There’s no way I’m going to desert you. I’ll go to prison for you. I’ll die for you.” Jesus looks at him and says, “No Peter. You won’t. Before the end of the day, you will reject me—not once, not twice, but three times—in order to save your own skin.” Since Jesus is gracious, he didn’t tell Peter that it would be a little servant girl that would trigger his lack of faith and trust. 

So, Peter knows all about overconfidence and pride. He knows the downfall and the damage that comes as a result. This is why he talks to elders and to everyone in the church about humility. Humility is a BIG deal. When St Augustine was asked about the essence of the Christian life, he said the essence of the Christian life was first humility, second humility, third humility. That’s what Peter is getting at in this passage. 

He begins by talking to elders and, even though he doesn’t technically use the word humility, he’s talking about humility. He says, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them…” (1 Peter 5:2, NIV). This is the specific and unique calling of elders in the church. They are to be shepherds of God’s flock. 

This humbles us because this is God’s flock not ours. This is God’s church not ours. These are God’s people not ours. So, elders, we don’t get to shepherd these people however we want to. We need to shepherd them the way God has called us to shepherd them BECAUSE they are HIS. And, as I’ve mentioned before, because this is God’s flock we have a weight of responsibility and privilege in our work. We have the privilege of caring for God’s sheep and the responsibility of caring for God’s sheep. 

We are also told to shepherd the flock that is under our care. That reminds us that we don’t get to pick the congregation we shepherd AND we don’t get to complain about the congregation we are shepherding. We don’t get to wish for and long for a different congregation. This is the flock that God has given us to care for, so care for it as if you were caring for God’s sheep—because you are. 

Shepherding and caring for the sheep means watching over the sheep. It means keeping an eye out for the sheep and keeping an eye on the sheep. Now, I realize that many elders don’t like doing that and many sheep don’t like being watched. Yet, this is the work God has called us to. We are called to keep our eye on things, watching the way people interact with one another, watching the way people are living their lives, and then speaking or directing accordingly. These are God’s sheep that he’s given us the task of protecting and leading. So, we’d better be keeping an eye on them. And, if you’re a sheep, please realize that we have this responsibility. For us to “look the other way” to sin and destruction in your life, would be bad for you and for us—it would mean judgement for both of us, for you because you’re heading off into sin and for us because we’re neglecting the duty God has given us. 

Then Peter tells elders the WAY they are to shepherd the flock and watch over them in a series of “NOT this way, but this way” statements. He says, “not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:2–3, NIV). Don’t be an elder because you have to. Don’t be an elder because you think it will get you ahead in the church—pursuing power or money or prestige. Don’t be an elder that whacks people over the head with your authority. Rather, willingly step into the role God has called you to fulfill, eager to serve and fulfill your calling, being an example to the flock. This is why you’ll never find me pressuring someone to be an elder. I will never twist someone’s arm into being an elder because I don’t want them serving with wrong motives—out of compulsion. Good elders are willingly and eagerly serving. Good elders are leading the flock by example—not by guilt and power and—but by example. They’re out front saying, “Follow me as a follow Christ.” And for those who serve well Peter says, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:4, NIV). 

Elders, each of these things requires humility. It’s one of the essential requirements of church leadership—humility. At its core humility is considering others as more significant than ourselves, not looking to our own interests but the interests of others (Phil 2:3-4). This is why we aren’t domineering in our leadership. This is why we aren’t leading for our own personal gain. This is why we willingly step into the role that God has given us. It’s NOT ABOUT US, it's about GOD and HIS PEOPLE. When we are humble we fulfill this role more effectively. 

Yet, humility isn’t just a requirement of church leadership—it’s a requirement for Christianity. Yes, elders are called to lead by example—and one of those ways is by being examples of humility—but Christians are also called to be humble. That’s why Peter reminds the congregation: “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”” (1 Peter 5:5, NIV). He reminds the younger members of the church in particular—but everyone in general—to submit to the leadership of the elders. Let them lead. Help them lead willingly, eagerly, with joy. Don’t sit and fight them every step of the way. It’s not good for them and it’s not good for you. 

But them Peter looks at the rest of the church and says, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”” (1 Peter 5:5, NIV). It’s pride that causes people to refuse to submit to leadership. It’s pride that will kill a church. So, Peter tells the whole congregation to cover yourself with humility. When people see you, they should see humility. They should see that you consider others more significant than yourself and that you are not only looking out for your own interests but the interests of others. 

This is really important because God opposes the proud and exalts the humble. This is a theme throughout scripture—especially throughout the book of Proverbs. As you read Proverbs you will repeatedly hear that God has proud people fall into their own traps and devices and it ends in destruction. On the other hand, the humble God lifts up and exalts. 

So, Peter says, rather than being prideful and having God humble us, he says that we should humble ourselves. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6–7, NIV). The command is to humble ourselves. How are we to do that? We humble ourselves by casting our anxiety on God. Let me explain that a bit. 

Take a moment to think about why you wouldn’t cast your anxiety on God? Why would you hold onto it? Why would you refuse to give it over? Isn’t the root cause pride? We think we are strong enough to take care of it. We think we’ve got things under control. We don’t need to give it over to God. We’re worried about what may happen if we give it to God—like He’ll mess it up or something. That’s all pride. It’s all us thinking more highly of ourselves that we ought—thinking we’re in more control than we are, thinking we’re stronger than we really are. It’s pride that will eventually lead to a fall. 

Yet, when we humble ourselves we stop holding onto these things and give them to God. We stop yelling and screaming at God and submit. We stop pridefully fighting and kicking and screaming against his will, and humbly cast our anxieties at his feet and trust Him. We recognize that we’re not strong enough or smart enough to handle these problems to make it through these difficulties, so we hand them over to God and trust Him. That’s humility. 

And, one of the most convicting aspects of this is the realization that all prayerlessness is the result of pridefulness. Ouch! We don’t pray because we pridefully think we’ve got things under control. We don’t think we need God. If I could recommend one book on prayer, it is Prayer by Ole Hallesby. He has a great line in that book that says, “Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only he who is helpless can truly pray. Your helplessness is your best prayer.” You could reword that to say, “Prayer and humility are inseparable. Only he who is humble can truly pray.” It’s a powerful reminder. 

Peter then tells the church that they need to be humble in their battle with Satan. He says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV). Peter knows the result of not taking Satan seriously, right? He ended up rejecting Jesus. So, he says we shouldn’t walk around pridefully, assuming that Satan will never get to us. We also shouldn’t live fearful. He says we should be alert and sober minded—watchful and ready, paying attention to what is going on—because Satan is prowling around ready to devour you and your faith.

He says, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith…” (1 Peter 5:9, NIV). Notice how this connects with humility. He doesn’t say, “Resist Satan, standing firm in your own strength and power, standing firm in your own intelligence and cunning.” He says that we need to resist Satan by standing firm in our faith—not relying on ourselves or our strength or our ability, but fully trusting in our God! That’s how we resist Satan. We lean in and grab hold of and trust our God more fully—knowing that He is the only one who can protect us. Again, this requires humility. 

Peter also tells us that we can stand firm in our faith by knowing a couple things. First he says, “…because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:9, NIV). We can stand firm because we know that other people are going through the same things we are. There’s comfort in that. When we are suffering and being tempted, there’s always a temptation to think our suffering and our temptation is way worse than anyone else. Yet, Peter reminds the church that it’s not. Others Christians are going through this same type of suffering and God is being faithful to them too. 

The second thing he says we need to know to stand firm in our faith is really powerful. He says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10, NIV). We can stand firm in our faith—against Satan and suffering—by knowing that God will restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast. Yet, he will do this after you’ve suffered a little while. How long is a little while? Nobody knows and it’s different in every situation. Yet, the beautiful promise is that it will not last forever. Eventually, in God’s perfect timing, He will restore you and strengthen you and help you stand firm and steadfast in your faith. He will do it because He is faithful. He’s doing this for Christians around the world and throughout history. He’ll do it in your life too. 

Peter knows this from experience. Remember what Jesus told him? “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus told Peter that he prayed that his faith wouldn’t completely fail and that when he had been restored he needed to strengthen the rest of the church. 

Then there’s this beautiful moment at the end of John’s gospel with Jesus and Peter on the beach. Imagine the guilt and shame that Peter felt at denying his Lord three times. Imagine how awkward it was when Peter met the resurrected Jesus face to face—the guilt and shame amplified. Peter had been suffering. Yet, Jesus pulls him aside and three times says, “Do you love me Peter?…Then feed my sheep.” In place of every denial, Peter now says, “I love you,” and Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” After he had suffered a little while, Peter was restored, strengthened, made firm and steadfast by Christ.

That’s true for each one of us. We will suffer and we will suffer for a little while. In the grand scheme of eternity, any of our earthly suffering is considered “a little while.” Yet, we can humble ourselves and cast our anxieties at the feet of our Father, knowing that He cares for us and WILL restore us, strengthen us, and make us firm and steadfast. He WILL do it. He has done it over and over and over and over again throughout history, and throughout our lives. He will do it again. So, rather than pridefully trying to hold onto things and take care of them ourselves—which we can’t do anyway—let us humbly throw our anxieties at the feet of our Father in faith, knowing that He cares for us and will restore us.