Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 NIV
This single verse is very powerful. We have already learnt from Matthew 6:25 about how not to worry. We have seen this truth in the last day of the plan Hard Questions from bible.com.
Now that we know that we must not worry, the Bible gives us also a strategy to do that: cast everything on God.
The verb ‘cast’ immediately grabs my attention. We see our anxiety as a burden. Anxiety makes our soul ‘heavy’. But we can take this burden, and cast it to God. God will take care of it, and we’ll be free from its weight.
How do we do it? By putting our faith in the power of God. Let’s say that you are anxious about something you have to do at work, and you are not sure, you are going to do it well as intended. Maybe you have some responsibilities on you, and your team, has big expectations on you. You are qualified to do that, and you have made your homework, but still you are anxious about it.
First thing we have to consider is the effect of this anxiety on you. One of the effects, is that you can’t stop thinking about it. So you have a cyclic thinking. Of course, this is not an healthy thought, so the result is that your brain is releasing chemicals for stress. This makes the things worse, because now, it’s more difficult to you to focus. If you persist on that, you end by having a panic attack.
I’m not a doctor, neither an expert. So maybe I didn’t get it technically right, but, this is what happens from my empirical experience.
How do you escape this circle? You stop thinking about it. This is very simple, and it’s what the Bible says: you cast it on God. For God nothing is impossible. So, in our example, if God wants you to succeed in your task, you already have victory. But, there is another outcome in you example.
Let’s read from verse 5:
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”5:5 Prov. 3:34
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5: 5-7
So, there is a defeat scenario in our example. This is the case where you are being superb. Everything we do must be done to lift up God, not ourselves. When we are humble, God lifts us up. When we are superb, God brings us down.
How do I know if I’m proud? The answer lies in our goal. Who do you want to be praised, you or God? Are you doing something, for others or just for yourself? What underlies your motivation?
So, when we are in an anxiety scenario, first thing we have to do is making us this question:
Am I being humble? Or I am being superb?
By answering this question, we are able to eventually change our actions, and put us in the right position.
Of course you need to pray about that, as the Bible says, we pray in spirit to make our connection with God, and have the help of the Holy Spirit to get guidance for our life.
If we are in the right position, you can, now, cast every anxiety on God, be remembering that He is on your side, and He is going to use to you for good works.
Devotional
Sometimes you worry about something. You know from the Bible you shouldn’t worry, but you can’t stop worrying. So what you do?
First you need to be sure to have a relationship with God. If you are born again, you are a child of God. God will take car of you.
Put God first in every area of your life. If you are thinking and acting in order to do so, you are doing God’s will, so God won’t let you down.
Live one day at time. Future is what people worry most about. Planning for the future is ok, but we cannot let the future frighten us. God is in control of everything, you are in good hands. You only need to be in the right side.
Trust God to care. The Bible is full of God’s promises to us. God will keep them. Prayer is a good tool to overcome anxiety: pray as much as you worry.
So maybe you have been overwhelmed by the anxiety. You have forgot the promises from God. You have not understand that God is with you, or you were going far from God’s will, putting something else first in your life. Now it’s time for you to repent from your sin, and trust the Father for his power, trust the Holy Spirit for his guidance, trust Jesus for your salvation, and for you relationship with Him. Pray on this.