Peter tells his readers, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6–7). Clearly, we must live humbly before God and the other authorities that He has set up (such as the elders of our local assembly, 5:1–5). Verse 6 creates a logical bridge to the famous “casting all your care upon Him” verse (5:7). Seen through the lens of the entire epistle, Peter writes to believers who are suffering for their faith, telling them how to respond in a Christlike way to those trials. When we encounter unwanted suffering, our first response ought to be actively humbling ourselves under God’s all-powerful hand. We can pray, “God, I don’t want this hardship, pain, or difficulty, but you are omniscient and see everything clearly, and you love me more than I can know. So I’m going to entrust my life to you and keep doing what you’ve commanded me to do (4:19), just like Jesus did (2:23).” This prayer encapsulates what it means to “cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

This month brought many opportunities to humble ourselves before God and trust his care for us. Many preparations and plans came together as we left our apartment to another couple, packed up our suitcases, and traveled to the United States. God has provided us with a car and safety in travel. He has blessed us through the hospitality and generosity of many brothers and sisters here in the United States. Our goals here are threefold: we want to thank God for those who have partnered with us in the gospel advance in Antofagasta (Phil 1:3–5), we want to praise God for what he has done through the gospel in Antofagasta (Acts 14:23), and we want to encourage one another in God’s Word (Rom 1:11–12). You can see our furlough schedule on our website.

The last Lord’s Day we were in Antofagasta, at the end of the service in the park, our church surrounded us and prayed for us as we traveled to the United States. Of course, they prayed for safety and good health as we traveled, but they also prayed that the believers in the United States would be encouraged to hear how the gospel was advancing in Antofagasta, both in our lives and to unbelievers. They sent us to you as their representatives, desiring that their brothers and sisters in Christ, whom they have never met, to share in the fellowship of what God is doing in their midst. We were honored at the privilege and look forward to sharing God’s greatness and goodness. Please continue to pray for us as we travel and share, and please remember the resolution of our permanent visas. We appreciate your prayers and look forward to seeing many of you over the next several months.

This is our May 2022 email update. You can sign up to receive our updates in your inbox here. You can download a printable PDF here.