The dateline is December 5, 2012. Blake Page announced his decision to quit the U.S. Military Academy this week, five months before his graduation. 

The 24-year-old told The Associated Press that a determination this semester that he could not become an officer because of clinical depression played a role in his public protest against what he calls the unconstitutional prevalence of religion in the military.Daily Mail, 2012

Well, if he thinks there is a prevalence of religion in the military, he does not know a whole lot. But that is not the connection I was interested in in this particular sentence in this article. Clinical depression played a role in his public protest against what he calls “the unconstitutional prevalence of religion in the military.” From what we have learned in the texts that have been before us having to do with anxiety and worry that often leads to depression, it is not the rejection of religion and prayer and specifically the rejection of Christianity that leads to such depression, it is quite the opposite.

The Lord Jesus says clearly: Do not worry about what you are going to eat, what you are going to wear, what is going to happen on the morrow. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and these things will be added to you. The Lord Jesus Christ says do not worry about what you will say when you enter that meeting and you have done your homework and you do not know exactly how you are going to approach those who counter you. Trust the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). It is the vertical relationship and a dependence upon Jesus Christ in prayer that is the answer to worry and anxiety.

The text which is before us in 1 Peter 5 teaches us the same lesson:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.1 Peter 5:6-7, NASB

In other words, trust God. Trust Jesus Christ, the One who bears your cares and anxiety. That is the lesson from the text.

The Context of Perilous Times⤒🔗

The apostle Peter is writing to Christians who are in perilous times. Let’s just look at a few verses in 1 Peter:

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.1 Peter 1:6, NASB

For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.1 Peter 2:19-20, NASB

He is writing to people who are living in perilous times in Turkey (that which we call northern Turkey today), part of the Roman Empire. Part of the peril that the people faced was that the common confession among the Romans was, “Caesar is Lord.” And those who went about making the confession that Jesus is Lord were suspect. They were unpatriotic. They lived in this kind of peril.

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.1 Peter 3:13-14, NASB

Here is the prospect of suffering for making the confession that Jesus is Lord.

For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.1 Peter 3:17, NASB

In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you.1 Peter 4:4, NASB

When you do not run with the crowd and do the things that are expected by the crowd, they malign you. This is what Peter says. And we know this is true.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name…

…Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.Philippians 4:12-16, 19, NASB

(Transcription of audio file from 11:10 to 11:38 omitted.)

We too live in perilous times. You know this is the case. In a Wall Street Journal article this week which talks about persecution in Nigeria, it speaks of Muslims going to a state run university, calling men and women out of their dorm rooms in the university and asking them their names. If they have Christian names, they summarily executed them. The same article says that out of the 193 nations of the world, 131 of them (which is a pretty [high] percentage!) actively persecutes Christians either as a government or through government officials. That is astounding. In North Africa, in Libya and in Egypt these days, there is the persecution of Christians. Coptic Christians in Egypt live in fear and under the threat of persecution.

What about this country? Hobby Lobby, the corporation started by a Christian businessman, sought relief from the health care bill and the requirement to provide abortions and abortifacients to its employees, and has been denied. Is the Christian who operates the company to bow to Caesar as Lord or to retain the confession that Christ is Lord? This is the pressure being brought to bear. And it is close to home, because Geneva College has entered into suits along these same lines seeking relief from the oppressive hand of government.

God Cares for You←⤒🔗

Well, that is a happy message, isn’t it? As you contemplate these things, remember: God cares for you in Jesus Christ. Look at the text again:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.1 Peter 5:6, NASB

God does care for you in Jesus Christ. And in that ancient Roman Empire in the midst of perilous times, God displayed his love for a lost world by sending his Son into the darkness and despair and despondency of that lost world. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” It was as though Jesus Christ dropped in behind enemy lines into hostile territory to deliver a people for himself whom he loved.

It was this same Jesus Christ, having been conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary and born in Bethlehem in accordance with the ancient prophecies, who grew and matured, and when the time came, he challenged the religious structure in Israel. And as he preached and performed many miracles and displayed his love and compassion for the people, the religious establishment repudiated him and finally found cause to bring him before the government authorities. When the governor Pilate presented him to the people and said, “Behold, your king!” they responded, “We have no king but Caesar.” There you have it again! Is Christ Lord, or is Caesar Lord? Is it God, or government? And then this same Lord Jesus went to the cross and (as Peter says in 1 Peter 2) bore our sins in How We aAnis body up to and on the cross. Yes friends, God does care for you and me in Jesus Christ.

God Will Exalt You←⤒🔗

And the text says that at the right time there will be exaltation. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time” (verse 6). The little word “time” there refers to the moment in which the exaltation takes place. We get a hint of that in 1 Peter 5:4:

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.1 Peter 5:4, NASB

And then a little earlier on, in chapter four:

But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice with exultation.
1 Peter 4:13, NASB 

Yes, Jesus Christ will come a second time in glory and the dead will be raised incorruptible. And those of us here who believe in Jesus Christ and trust Christ, we will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet when the dead are raised. And this corruptible body will put on that which is incorruptible, and as Paul says, we shall be changed. At the right time, Christ will come. And as Peter says here, at the right time “He may exalt you” and lift you up.

One of the great pictures in the book of Revelation is the multitude of angels and saints gathered around the throne, singing praises to the Lord. I remember preaching on Psalm 122 and talking about this scene before the Lord. I had the privilege of doing so at synod, and I said, “It will be fine with me if I am just able to stand on my tiptoes and look over the crowd to see the glory of God and of the Lamb. Just to be on the edge of the crowd, just to be there, will be satisfactory to me.”

The book of Revelation also says that the twenty-four elders gathered around the throne (representing the saints of all ages) will have golden crowns like Peter speaks of here. They will have golden crowns. And what do they do? They take their crowns and they cast them at the feet of Jesus in recognition of the fact that He is due all the honour and glory and praise. If there is anything in the exaltation that we have, it is due to him. At the right time, Peter says, you will be exalted.

(Transcription of audio file from 22:36 to 22:48 omitted.)

Therefore Humble Yourselves←⤒🔗

And now in the interim—between Christ giving himself up, showing his love and displaying God’s love on the cross, and that second coming and the exaltation of Jesus Christ and his body—what are to do? Our text tells us in verse six: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” This is the time to recognize Christ’s kingship and his superiority, and for us to humble ourselves under his mighty hand, to confess him as Lord and to follow him—yes, even through suffering, as Peter says. In this interim we are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

I wonder about this this ex-cadet now, this Blake Page who wants to dispense religion, the president of the Secularists Alliance and other atheist groups, does he think that he himself is going to be able to handle life? Doubtful! Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and recognize God’s providence all around you. What is providence? God’s “most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing of all of his creatures and all their actions” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 11). What a comfort it is to know that Jesus Christ is King and Lord. And we, as his people, may humble ourselves under his mighty hand of providence, knowing that he cares for us.

Casting Your Anxiety on God←⤒🔗

How, more specifically then, are you and I to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God? Peter tells us:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.1 Peter 5:6-7, NASB

How do you submit yourself to Christ? Casting all your worries, all your cares, your anxieties and all your sorrows on him. For years I have had the practice of praying virtually every day, “And Lord, forgive us of our sins.” I remember praying at the table one day when we had a guest minister in our home, and I finished the prayer in that fashion: “Lord, forgive us of our sins. Amen.” He looked at me after the prayer rather quizzically, and he said, “You prayed for the forgiveness of our sins.” I said, “Yes, and the reason I do that is I know that I sin daily in thought, word and deed.” I know that when I pray for the forgiveness of my sins, trusting in Christ, it is sure that they are gone! It is sure that they are gone because he has already paid for them! Some would say, “That is rather strange…you recognize that he has already paid for them, he has already borne the burden of your sins. Why do you continue to pray?” Well, Jesus commands me to do so in his model prayer! To pray that my transgressions will be forgiven. And since I know that I regularly do sin, I will pray and I will ask for that forgiveness, knowing that Jesus Christ has already borne them away.

Well, how do you cast all your anxieties upon Jesus Christ? I submit to you friends that although the text uses a very active verb “casting”—throwing all of your anxieties upon Christ—the way that it works is that you recognize that Jesus Christ already does bear all your anxiety. He is the One for sure who has borne our grief, as Isaiah says, and carried our sorrows. Don’t you believe that that is the case? So you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God knowing that Jesus Christ bears your sorrows and grief and anxieties and sin. And you say, “Thank you! Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ!” And you can move on in your life. How good that is! Trust Jesus Christ, the One who bears in his own body your cares and anxiety.

Barry Lynn is the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. He just sent a letter to the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, charging him to desist in having public prayers in ceremonies at the academy. Blake Page, the now ex-cadet, is in full support of this action. I suppose they think that the anxiety of war and the separation of families in the military can be cured by ejecting prayer and religion from the military. They are wrong! They have not experienced the care and love of God in Jesus Christ. But friends, you have. And because you have, you may humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, recognizing the work of Jesus Christ bearing your anxieties and casting them in this way upon him. That is the text.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.1 Peter 5:6-7, NASB

Trust Christ, the One who bears all your cares and anxiety.