What It Really Means to Depend on God (1 Peter 5)
The short answer: Peter closes his letter to persecuted churches by calling everyone, elders and congregation alike, to humility instead of self-sufficiency. Depending on God means both receiving the care He offers through the local church and giving Him the cares believers were never meant to carry alone.
This article is adapted from the sermon, Dependence Day, preached by Pastor Mitchell Neldon at Southbridge Fellowship on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Why Self-Sufficiency is a trap in the spiritual life
American culture, especially in a high-achieving area like North Raleigh, prizes independence as a virtue. Applied to faith, though, that same instinct becomes a problem: an assumption that a person does not need help, authority, or community in their spiritual life.
Peter's letter, the closing chapter of 1 Peter, pushes directly against that instinct, closing out his instructions to churches in Asia Minor with a call to humility rather than self-reliance.
"It's not God's design for us to be spiritually self sufficient and independent."
Depend on God by Receiving His Care Through the Local Church (1 Peter 5:1-5)
Peter charges elders to shepherd God's flock willingly and without lording authority over the people entrusted to them, leading instead by example. That posture traces back to Jesus Himself, who took the towel and basin and washed Peter's feet, a job reserved for a servant.
Humility, in this passage, means taking the lower position: considering the perspectives and needs of others and allowing yourself to be served and cared for, not just to serve.
The Trap of Withdrawing During Hard Seasons
A life event happens (a job loss, a new baby, a busy season) and the natural response is to step back from small groups or community "until things settle down." The intention to return often never fully happens, and the gap between a person and the local church quietly widens.
"It's not God's design for us to be spiritually self sufficient and independent."
Southbridge Fellowship's own Care Ministry mxists for exactly this reason: not as a program to opt into once life is manageable, but as one of the places God provides the care He designed people to receive through relationships in a local church.
Depend on God by Giving Him Your Cares (1 Peter 5:6-7)
Verse 7 is one of the most familiar lines in the New Testament: cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
What "Cast" Meant on Palm Sunday
The Greek word translated "cast" or "throw" appears in only one other place in the New Testament: Palm Sunday, when crowds threw their cloaks in front of Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem, a physical act of placing their trust, their expectations, and their allegiance on Him.
"Give them your cares, give him the things that are weighing you down."
Giving God real burdens (unfinished to-do lists, financial pressure, relational strain, the weight carried by both church leaders and everyday believers) means releasing the instinct to control the outcome. It is often easier to sit with a bad outcome a person feels they had a hand in than to hand the outcome to God and trust Him with it.
A Chief Shepherd Who Cares for You
Peter calls Jesus the "chief shepherd," the one who oversees every shepherd, elder, and believer in a local church. The promise that closes the passage is not abstract: after a season of suffering, God Himself restores, strengthens, and establishes those who stand firm.
Dependence, in both directions (receiving care and releasing burdens) rests on the character of a God who is both mighty enough to carry what weighs a person down and personally invested enough to care that He does.
Watch and Keep Reading
Watch or listen to the full sermon, Dependence Day, preached by Pastor Mitchell Neldon at Southbridge Fellowship on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Keep reading at Southbridge:
- The Story Takes Root: An Overview of 1 Peter, the series overview covering all of 1 Peter
- How to Survive Suffering as a Christian, for more on standing firm through hard seasons
- The Shift from Worry to Unshakable Peace, for more on giving God your anxiety
Looking for a church community in Raleigh?
Southbridge Fellowship is a non-denominational church in North Raleigh that gathers every Sunday for genuine community, engaging worship, and biblical + practical teaching that connects to real life.
We are located at 12621 Strickland Rd., Raleigh, NC 27613. Plan your visit: