My Lord and My Savior, I adore You! Thank You for sending Your Spirit who guides into all truth and for the great Bible teachers You allowed me to study under at Liberty University.
Dr Paul Fink taught me Inductive Bible Study. He had a saying, “All means all and that is all all means. Fink 1:1” He also taught to never take a verse out of context, to always consider to whom the author was writing, and never “spiritualize” anything. Well, this morning, Lord, all of those things came to mind when I came to this verse.
My mother-in-law, bless her sweet heart, was the worst worrier I had ever encountered. If my parents ever worried about anything, they never let on to us, so this was very foreign to me as a new bride and took a lot of adjusting on my part. I must confess that at times it was extremely irritating and I wanted to verbally dismiss her feelings. But, thanks to You, even before I became a believer, my manners and Your intervention kept me from that rude behavior. When she became a believer, my eldest son found a plaque with this verse on it and gave it to his Grandma. It did not keep her from all of her worry, but it did give her a measure of comfort.
I have heard this quoted to just about everyone who found themselves in an anxious situation. However; just today, Lord, You revealed to me that this verse was given to a specific group of believers in a specific situation and is not just a “feel good” verse for just any worrier.
First of all, Peter is addressing elders, “under shepherds”, but here especially the young men under them. They were Jewish exiles scattered all over the known world.
Secondly, he had just admonished them to humbly submit to each other and to the elders.
What would these young men be anxious about in this context?
· Young men are, by nature, not humble creatures.
· Young men tend to vie for attention and position.
· Young men are not prone to want to submit to anyone, let alone someone older than they.
· Young men, because they normally lack wisdom, are ego driven and care deeply about their reputation.
· Young men tend to either be arrogant or the extreme opposite, very self-conscious.
It is possible that these particular young men were coming into a shepherding position and were afraid they would not measure up, or would be stifled by the elder. Because Peter tells them to also submit to one another as well, there had to be inordinate competition among them.
Ego in either direction is dangerous and can split the family of believers wide open, especially if one is in a position of leadership. I believe Peterl is admonishing these young men to put their ego in the grave, submit to the Lord and the elders and yield to their leading. In that way, they would be casting all of that anxiety on the Lord. He reassures them they can do that because the Lord really does care for and about them. He also tells them to cast ALL of their anxiety on Him…not just some.
Lord, You have made it plain in other passages that worry is a sin because it is a lack of trust in You. You have told us that if we seek You and Your kingdom first, You will supply our needs and lift us up in due time if we are faithful and humble. You have told us that as believers we suffer no more condemnation and if we confess our sin You are faithful to forgives us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You have made it plain that You resist the proud (of both genders and all ages), but give grace to the humble. You have told us to come to You all who are weary (from trying to press our ego) and You will give us rest from this tyrant. You have told us to take Your yoke upon us because Your burden is light. We all need to crucify our ego and learn to live humbly submissive lives.
I thank You for those verses. I know I can come to You with my troubles and You care for me and will give me the peace that passes understanding. However; this particular verse is not for everyone as I assumed. Thank You for Your clarification this morning
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