I love the reminder in verse five that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. It is just another example from Peter that demonstrates an interaction with God in our lives; that our actions can influence how God interacts with us. Yesterday I was reading of how our prayers can be hindered if we don’t live out our mandate of brotherly love with others, and here we see another connection between God and us.  In someways, Peter is making a relationship with God more “tangible”.

But, for me, perhaps the most powerful two verses in all of this letter come here in 6 & 7

“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.”

That is so strong! Three things jump out at me from this text:

1. At the proper time: unfortunately, this is not at a time of my choosing, nor on a timeline of which I am on aware.  This is a real shot any sense of control that I might have over my life!

2. Exalt: I am essentially setting up a scenario where God holds me in a high regard when I humble myself in my life; again, we see the cause-and-effect relationship between the way we live and how God interacts with us.

3. Because he cares for you: this phrase sounds so personal. It’s not just that God loves us, but that he is concerned for us, and he wants to respond to us. We just have to get out of our own way by being humble and living out our calling of brotherly love.

Great stuff!