1 Peter 5:6-7
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Is life taking a toll on you? Are you feeling stressed, worried, feeling under pressure? Anxiety in the Bible is portrayed as being inconsistent with trust in God. Anxiety frequently manifests itself in ungodly concern about provision, performance, or reputation and is often rooted in an incomplete knowledge, lack of control over circumstances, or failure to take a Godly perspective on situations.
Psalm 139:23 says “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;” If you want to be free from anxiety, it begins with trust in God. It starts with humbleness and trusting in the mighty hand of God. Psalm 34:4 says “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
You see, when you are weak and in need, then you realise that you cannot rely on your strength anymore. Often God becomes our last resort, rather than being our first point of call. Instead, we try to do everything in our power. Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Often, we cannot control anxious thoughts entering our minds. But there is something that we can control. We can control our response to anxious thoughts. Our response must be to trust in the mighty hand of God. When you do this, then God will exalt you, and then you can cast your anxieties to Him. The biblical meaning for “cast” here means “to throw upon, place upon.” So in essence, casting your cares on Christ means that you must entirely let go of your anxieties, and allow God to take care of it.
The scriptures make it clear to us that one of the characteristics that God loves is humbleness. Humbleness is the beginning of God’s favour. James 4:6 says “Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So start at a place of humbleness knowing that only “God can”; and He can deliver you from your anxieties. Trust in His mighty hand. The same “hand” that brought the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt. The same mighty hand can deliver you from bondage to anxiety.
Psalm 55:22 says “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” You see, anxiety does nothing good for your life. Matthew 6:27 says “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”. By being anxious, it will never improve anything. When you cast your anxieties upon Christ, then you rely solely on Him. You realise you cannot do anything in your strength, but that you can walk in His.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” This is when you will truly have a peace that passes understanding in your life. Though numerous events and issues are causing your anxiety, you can have complete peace when you cast your anxiety on Jesus. You need to trust in God’s mighty hand and that He is in total control of your situation. You can continue to live your life without worry, knowing that Christ is in your situation.
So, in conclusion, I urge you to commit your ways and every situation to the Lord. Philippians 4:6 says “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Therefore, humble yourselves, trust in the mighty hand of God, and cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. When you cast your anxieties on Christ, then His peace will fill that place that was once occupied by your anxiety.
God bless,
