1 Peter 5:6-7 says:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Stress has the power to crush peace. It clouds our ability to make choices and leaves us feeling isolated and overwhelmed by life’s challenges. However, the key to breaking free from this weight is humility. Humility allows us to acknowledge our need for God’s help, shifting the burden from ourselves to His capable hands.
Scripture reminds us that we cannot do anything without God’s strength. As Philippians 4:13 declares, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When Paul wrote these words, he wasn’t speaking from a place of comfort. He was enduring starvation, imprisonment, beatings, and shipwrecks. Yet, amid these trials, Paul found peace. How many of us can say the same? To have peace in the storm, knowing that God is with us and will carry us through?
Stress feels like a weight on our shoulders, but when we insist on carrying it ourselves, it becomes a form of pride. Pride, because we believe we can manage everything on our own. Depression, anxiety, and stress thrive in isolation, convincing us we don’t need help. But in those moments, we face a choice: to reach out for help or remain locked in darkness, hoping we’ll somehow fix everything ourselves. How has that worked out so far?
It’s like a child who desperately wants their broken toy fixed but keeps pulling it away from the parent who is trying to help, throwing a tantrum because it’s not done on their timeline.
Peter challenges us to do the opposite: to humble ourselves before God and cast our anxieties on Him. Trust that in His time—not ours—He will lift us up from the valleys of despair.