1 Peter 5:6-7 – Humble yourself, 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.

Lord God, this is a tough one. It’s a tough one to bow to your will and to bow under your hand even though I know it’s so good for me to be under your mighty hand. It’s a tough one because I often think that I know better than you do, even though I wouldn’t ever dare say that out loud. It’s a tough one because I often don’t like that way that things go under your steering and direction. It’s a tough one because it means I have to let go and let you, O God, and then I’m not in control. But God, I know that this is the best place to be. Help me to humble myself under your mighty hand. Your mighty hand, O Father, has haled the whole world in your hands, shaping, forming, placing, and rearranging everything since the dawn of creation. Your mighty hand knew me before I was born and your hands, Father, knit me together in my mother’s womb. Your mighty hands hold all human history in your grasp and you even direct and use all events for your good purposes, even for me. You guide and direct the life and affairs of the church for the sake of the kingdom. What’s good for the kingdom is good for the church. And you, O God, decide what’s good for the church. It’s good for me to be under your mighty hand for there you handle and so remove all the anxieties that cross my human heart. Amen.