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 (1 Peter 5:6-7).
Commentary and explanation. Faith in Jesus, and in God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is not without reward, even here on earth. The whole Bible, and in particular the New Testament, is full of statements that teach the rewards of faith here on earth. Whoever has surrendered his life, totally and unconditionally, to the Lord (this is faith), is not anxious, does not have fear of anything, for He cares for him.
The text of this Step was written by Peter, and he says that we must humble ourselves and submit under the mighty hand of God, not to leave us submerged or to be ashamed, but to exalt us in time of trouble.
He, Peter, gives us also an advice or practical norm, that we should practice in our life: to cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for us. God does not see us suffering and forgets us, leaves us. We don't very often know the ways God is guiding us, but we must be sure that He cares for us.
The apostles teach us, also, that we shouldn't be afraid of anything nor should we be anxious. John writes: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has not been made perfect in love (1 John 4:18). John does not mention faith here, but we already know that faith works through love (Galatians 5:6).
Where faith and love is, there is no fear; trust in Jesus excludes fear. Whoever has faith, may not be afraid of anything. Paul said: we are always confident (2 Corinthians 5:6), and he argued this way: He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
This is faith: to be certain that God is able to do everything, according to His will. This is faith that casts out fear. Therefore, let us cast out all our care upon Him, for He cares for us.
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Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind, for all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things (Luke 12:29-30)
Commentary and explanation. Jesus wanted to be emphatic and clear in his doctrine about trust in God. He wants that His disciples have full confidence; in other words, that they be sure that the Father cares them.
Jesus' teaching is that, in any circumstance, we put God over all things, and then let His providence care for us. He does not want that we be anxious about food, or clothing, or anything else. He says: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Whoever seeks first what belongs to God, nothing will be lacking to him.
John says that prayer is the base for the believer's confidence; he says: This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14,15). Psalm 91 confirms the same teaching: He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him (Psalm 91:15). Prayer with faith does not return empty from heaven; but we must be sure that our petitions are subject to the will of God. John says: If we ask anything according to His will.
And Paul wants that his disciples at Phillippi —who have sent help to him,— be sure that God will not let them lack anything: My God shall supply all your need according to His riches (Philippians 4:19). Nothing will be lacking for us either.
And when difficulties strike us down, let us come to the Word of God, where we'll find strength and comfort. Let us pray with the words of the Bible, and God will hear our prayers. Let us say: My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word (Psalm 119:25). And let us add: The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).
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Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).
Commentary and explanation. Since Old Testament times God wanted His people to be certain that He would be always at their side, and never would leave them. These words from the letter to the Hebrews are found in Deuteronomy 31:6,8, and are repeated to us in the New Testament.
This scriptural reading highlights an important point. One of the main concerns of people at the present time, and probably in apostolic times also, is the worry about money; people are afraid they won't have enough for their needs, or simply because they want to have more.
This Scripture admonishes us in both instances and recommends us not to let ourselves be driven by the hunger of money, with avarice, or because we are afraid that we won't have all that we'll need. We should rather be satisfied with such things as we have, and be certain that God will never leave us.
If we succeed in controlling worries about money, and instead, are confident in God, we have solved one of the main concerns of life. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you, Psalm 55 says (v. 22).
Let us cast our worries on the Lord; let us leave ourselves in His hands, because all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28). Let us pray; and, even if we don't get immediately what we ask for, we can be sure that we'll receive the strength from the Lord. He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him, He heard (Psalm 22:24).
David was completely certain that God would be with him, when he said: Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident (Psalm 27:3). We can pray also, saying: although I have this problem or this pain, I trust in you, Lord.
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We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
Commentary and explanation. All the letters from the Apostles speak about suffering; from the beginning, sorrow has always been the inseparable companion of man.
Paul describes this condition of man very well in his quotation from Corinthians, when he says that we are pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, but nevertheless —because we are sustained by faith and trust in the Lord,— we are not crushed, in despair, forsaken or destroyed.
He shows the two sides of the human condition for a Christian, and he says that we should not feel crushed, or despair, or forsaken, much less destroyed.
Suffering has an important meaning for a Christian: it makes him like Jesus in His death, in order that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. Precisely for this, Jesus embraced suffering that He could be compassionate and understanding of our suffering.
We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin, says the letter to the Hebrews (4:15). When we are suffering, we know that Jesus walked the same path before, and that suffering patiently makes us like Him.
Let us come close to God through prayer; if we are close to God, undoubtedly we'll experience His assistance. The Psalmist said: My soul, wait for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God (Psalm 62:5-7). When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me (Psalm 27:10).
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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
Commentary and explanation. These are the words of Paul to the disciples of Philippi. Paul talks about his own experience, since he confronted with strength his persecutions and death itself. None of these things —chains and tribulations— move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, he said to the elders of the church of Ephesus (Acts 20:24). And in the letter to Philippians that we quoted in this Step, he says also: I know that Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death (Philippians 1:20). He has then the right to tell us: Be anxious for nothing.
And what is the alternative that Paul offers us in the face of pain and suffering? In everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God. The alternative is to turn us to God. "The medicine for evil is to turn to God, because evil has come by going far from God," a writer from the past said.
Psalm 106:44, 45, recaps the history of the people of Israel when it says: He regarded their affliction, when He heard their cry; and for their sake He remembered His covenant, and relented according to the multitude of His mercies. We can read in all the pages of the Old Testament, that every time that Israel called upon the name of the Lord, the Lord came and saved them.
We also, let us turn back to God in all our needs, with trust, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Let us not be overcome by difficulties; let us have a firm and certain faith in the Lord, and we'll succeed. Let us remember the words of Habakkuk the prophet: Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
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