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About once a month I share in morning devotions at the home for needy children here in Oaxaca, Mexico. On Tuesday I talked about finding rest from 1 Peter 5:6-8,

In verse 6 Peter writes about humbling yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up. In my Spanish version Bible it says humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. The Mighty Hand of God. Many times I like the Spanish version better than the English version. It seems I can try to lift my bad old prideful self up, by myself, or I can humble myself and trust my life to the mighty hand of God and let him do the heavy lifting. Seems like a no brainer to me. But that idea of humbling ones self generally goes against the grain of most proud, individualistic Americans, and Mexicans, who think they can handle life on their own, thank you very much! We encounter great peace, rest and happiness, when we are able to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand.

Next Peter says cast your cares on God, for he cares for you. What a word of encouragement, Our loving Father cares for us and wants to shoulder our burdens, anxieties, and worries. That doesn’t mean he takes them away necessarily, but that he gives us a new perspective on them, one that makes the burden lighter, and enables us to rest knowing that his mighty hand is lifting us up to a safe place. Reminds me of Jesus words in Matthew 25, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Resting is a learning process.

Finally, Peter writes about our enemy, the devil, who wants to destroy us. Devour us. How? With worries, anxiety and stress. I read recently that one third of teenage girls thought seriously about suicide over the last few years. Why? Because of depression brought on by worries and anxiety, brought on in a large part by social media. The devil lion is ready to pounce, and if they don’t humble themselves and cast their cares on God, he will devour them. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among all teens, especially females. Coincidentally, one third of the group in devotions was teen girls. I hope and pray that they humble themselves and cast their cares on God, and find rest for their weary souls!

Of course the devil also has ways to destroy the proud, self confident, arrogant and self righteous. Peter is telling all Christians to be on guard. Beware. Watch out. I think of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” The best way to really stand firm is to stand on the Rock, Jesus our Savior.

God loves us and wants us to be happy. Through the words of Peter we learn we have tools to be happy and rest. Humble ourselves under his mighty hand. Cast our anxieties on him. Watch out for the devil who wants to devour us. Using these three tools we can enjoy the rest of God.