Let It Go

by Brandy Webb

I realized the other day that I’m not a very humble person. The epiphany happened when I was reading Peter. I have a hard time giving my anxieties to God, and I realized in 1 Peter 5 that it is my lack of humility that causes me to not let go and give it all to God.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you (1 Pet 5: 6-7).

Did you catch that? In order to cast all our worries on God, we must first humble ourselves. Maybe you already knew that, but I have to admit, I never realized that it takes humility to cast all my worries on God. It was kind of a light bulb moment for me, and it makes total sense. I worry because I’m trying to figure out “How am I going to fix this?” See, the problem with that idea is that the emphasis is on me, not God. I am unwilling to relinquish control of my problem. I want to fix it. I can’t seem to get rid of the anxiety because I don’t know how I am going to make things right.

The question for me is, when did I learn to control the universe? Last check, I wasn’t that powerful. Where is my faith when I get wrapped up in myself like that? It is in the tank obviously, and pride (control) has taken over. Pride is what stops us from casting our worries on God. Humility, on the other hand, requires us to realize that we are not in control. It makes us realize we can’t fix everything. Humility requires us to rely on God to help us. Humility makes us face the fact that we are nothing without Him.

Humility is not an act of weakness. It is a lessening of ourselves, so that God can give us strength. Humility requires faith. I believe that is why David is a man after God’s on heart. David learned how to be humble. There are a lot of Psalms where he is afraid, but the thing is, he doesn’t give into the fear. He calls on God (Psa 55:16) because he knows that he can’t save himself from his distresses, only God can (Psa 55:22).

I worry because I don’t know how to get myself out of a trial. I worry because I am not fully relying on God. I am still looking to myself to make things right. God wants me to trust in Him. The problem, though, is that in order to do that I have to learn how to humble myself “before the Lord” so that He can lift me up (James 4:10). I have to accept when I am weak, that is when He is strong (2 Cor 12:10). I need Him to soar like an eagle. I need Him to give me strength so that I can run and not grow weary (Isa 40:31). I need Him to win the race. Therefore, I must learn to become humble and trust Him, casting all my anxieties on Him because He cares for me.