“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7
Between Blessings & Burdens
Consider the story of the Prodigal Son. For the father, his children were both his greatest blessing and greatest burden. One of the main themes of MD5 is relationships. It is in relationships – especially family relationships - where we often experience this thin line between blessing and burden.
A prodigal child
A damaged marriage
A health crisis
A family member battling addiction or emotional trauma
Broken relationships with siblings or other family members
Where hurt is deep and answers don’t come easy God extends this offer - “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7.
Express Your Pain
I’m so thankful God acknowledges our pain. He admonishes us not to suppress it but to express it. Don’t bottle it up and allow bitterness to take root. Don’t lose heart and lose hope. God knows, God cares, and God promises to carry our burdens. But we have to let Him.
How? Pray persistently and live expectantly.
Are you persisting in prayer? What exactly are you praying for? Prayer is the conduit for us to experience the sufficiency of God’s grace.
Are you living expectantly? In the story of the Prodigal Son, the Father saw his son returning even while the son was still far away. The father was anticipating God to act. He was living expectantly. Are you?
Remember This
Whatever burden you are carrying, remember that in every situation we can cast our cares on God. Pray persistently and live expectantly, because there is a very thin line between a burden and a blessing.
John Meriweather
MD5 Facilitator
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