Humble Yourselves, Cast Your Cares, and Resist the Roaring Lion

Humility before God is not passive despair. Believers humble themselves under God’s mighty hand because he will exalt in due time, and they cast their anxieties on him because he cares for them. At the same time they must be sober and vigilant because the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resistance is communal and steadfast in faith: sufferers are reminded that the worldwide brotherhood faces the same kinds of affliction. The final promise belongs to the God of all grace, who after temporary suffering will restore, establish, strengthen, and settle his people for eternal glory in Christ.