Reflection on 1Pe 5:6-7
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you.
The Apostle Peter encourages us to humble ourselves before God. What does it bring? Above all, it brings us the light of knowledge that God gives us. Otherwise, without us even knowing, this light of knowledge is blocked by the self-centredness of our sin-infected nature, which Scripture calls the old self. Humility is truth. It liberates us from our own sense of self-importance, pride and unwillingness to admit our weaknesses and mistakes. This selfish sense of self-importance prevents God from working through us. Yet it is through humility that we would gain the greatest benefit, both spiritually and otherwise, not only for others but mainly for ourselves. Scripture says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humbling ourselves before God, from whom we derive our existence, all that is good in us and all our good works, is not humiliating. It is merely an acknowledgement of reality, that is, of the truth about ourselves. We develop this attitude of humility in interior prayer beneath Christ’s cross. Without true prayer, we will spend our lives in illusion. At the moment of death, there will be no time left to repent and make up for what we have neglected. If we retain even a hint of humility, there is hope that we will humbly accept grace in our final test — the transition to eternity — and be saved, although we must expect a long purgatory, and that is no small matter. Why? Because we have neglected the time of purification through true humility – walking in truth. Ultimately, what matters is our final exaltation: heavenly glory. Exaltation in this life is insignificant and will soon pass away.
When it comes to the worries, problems and crosses we face every day, the Apostle advises us to trust in God and put all our problems in His hands. How can we do this? With Christ and in Christ. We should be crucified daily with Christ and not just feel helpless with our problems. In this way, our old self, that is, our corrupt nature, which secretly seeks its own glory in everything and boycotts or puts God on the back burner, will also be crucified.
Jesus should truly be the Lord of our lives. We should talk to Him in prayer about our problems, seek His will and, if He is truly our Lord, we have not lived our lives in vain, but fruitfully – both for time and, above all, for eternity.
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