“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” I Peter 5:6-7

What does it look like when we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God?

Your first thought is likely those momentous times of serious illness or emergencies. In these cases, humbling ourselves will prevent us from being angry, bitter, or excessively fretful. For most of us these times are rare and we have time to consciously consider submitting joyfully under the mighty hand of God.  Many Christians come through these times shining like gold, a praise to God and a testimony to those around them.

But how do we do in the everyday opportunities for humble submission? The toilet overflows…the car breaks down…it is another morning with a wet bed (or two)…there is a plumbing problem to be dealt with…the 7-year-olds whole plate of spaghetti lands sauce down on the carpet…now what does humbling look like? How long does it take me to get from my first response to the godly response? When I see the circumstances apart from God, I react to them, instead of submitting to Him.

Lord, help me to submit under Your mighty hand.

Now God’s hand is not just mighty. It is also good!

Ezra knew what it was to have the good hand of God upon him. (Ezra 7:9) Verse 10 tells us why the good hand of God was upon him.

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

He prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, to do it and to teach it. Does that sound like the preachers job. Yes, but these things should be true of every Christian. It is the responsibility and privilege of each one of us to prepare our heart to seek the law of the Lord, do it and teach it. 

What would our homes be like if each Christian was preparing their heart to seek God's law, to do it, and even to encourage one another with it? What would our churches look like? 

May the Good Hand of our God be upon us?