Humility and Peace

May 6, 2021

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT

What does humility have to do with peace?

  • A humble person knows what their responsibility is and what it is not.
  • A humble person knows what they can do and cannot do.
  • A humble person is willing to let someone more capable lead.
  • A humble person doesn’t grasp for control.
  • A humble person chooses to trust their authority.

Peter learned all about humility and trust and peace through personal experience. In the early days with Jesus, Peter was far from humble. His natural drive was to take charge in every situation whether or not it was in his arena of authority. He wanted Jesus to assert Himself as a political messiah and was determined to help Him. He wanted to control. He had issues with trust.

But when Jesus rose from the dead, proved that He was the Lord of life, that He had all authority in heaven and earth, Peter understood who he was and who Jesus was. Peter put himself and his responsibility and authority in perspective. He humbled himself under the mighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus entrusted him with great leadership. He lifted him up.

The leadership responsibility given to Peter was huge and demanding. But Peter had learned the connection between humility and peace. He knew that he was responsible to humble himself before God, and God would take complete responsibility for honoring and caring for him. He knew that worries and cares were the termites that would eat away every vestige of peace, so he proactively gave his worries and cares to the One who was in control, the One who was capable of every situation—the One who cared for him.

  • Peter’s advice is reliable because it is what changed him from a fearful man, who was even too frightened to admit he knew Jesus, into a fearless leader who had peace even awaiting martyrdom. None of our cares are as substantial as that. What is bothering you right now? Give this day’s worries and cares to Jesus. He cares for you.