Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
What causes anxiety? Living is the simple answer. Each day we are confronted with potential sources of anxiety. There are things we have no control over, but we can have anxiety over things that we “think” we have a measure of control. We can even have anxiety, but not know or understand the cause.
Regardless of the cause, anxiety is not good for our health, or well-being. Anxiety can cause elevated heart rates, high blood pressure, hyperventilation. It also can be the source of sleep deprivation, fatigue, and muscle tension. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies are making a fortune prescribing treatment and medication to combat anxiety and its effects.
Even a man like David can experience times of fear and anxiety. Psalm 55 describes a time when he is crying out desperately for God’s help. He pleads with God telling him that he is overwhelmed by his troubles. Verses 4-5 appeared to be an anxiety attack: My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking. Psalm 55:4–5 (NLT)
As David continues to call upon God, he is still in distress, but then he writes: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22 (NIV). There is nothing to be gained by hanging onto our fears and anxieties. What an exchange; we give God our cares, and he gives us his peace. Carefree living is the best way to live. David concludes the Psalm with: “But as for me, I trust in you.”
Cast Our Cares
It would probably be our preference to have God remove, or take away, our fears and anxieties. Instead, David in the Psalms, and Peter in his letter command us just to cast our cares and anxieties upon the Lord.
The NLT softens the language by telling us to give our cares to the Lord, but those Hebrew and Greek words carry greater strength. Picture throwing a rock with every bit of strength that you possess. We may think in terms of casting something far away, but God wants us to cast our cares upon him. Why? Because he cares for us.
It is interesting to note that the other use of the word cast applies to driving out demons. We may not like the parallel between casting out demons in casting our cares upon God, but action is clearly required on our part. God cares for us and will take our cares and burdens, but we must throw them upon him.
God Cares for Us
I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Psalm 142:4 (NLT)
One challenge faced by many people including believers is not believing that anyone cares for them, including God. It is difficult to cast your cares upon someone if you don’t believe that they really care for you. Cares and anxieties can alter your perception of reality.
Someone may accept the intellectual idea that God cares for them, or perhaps other people, but never put it to the test. Like the Psalmist, people who do not believe that anyone cares for them go on with their lives carrying a heavy burden.
David, like many other people, was under the weight of many troubles. He said that he was overwhelmed and perceived that his enemies had set traps for him. Finally, he goes to God in prayer: Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life. Psalm 142:5 (NLT)
The enemy of our souls uses our cares and anxieties against us. He tries to convince us that no one really cares for us, let alone God. Under such a burden, it is hard for people to hear the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)
Victor Hugo said, “Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake!”
So Little Faith
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Matthew 6:30 (NLT)
Christ-followers, what I am about to tell you may come as a shock. When we failed to cast our cares and anxieties upon God it is an added sin. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 (NLT)
I have a confession; a number of years ago I was filled with anxiety over a real estate transaction. We had sold our previous home on a contingency, but we were having difficulty finding a new home to meet the needs of our growing family.
But during that time, I preached a sermon, and I said that I had compounded worries and anxieties. I know that as a believer I should cast all of my cares upon him, but instead “I was worried about my worries.” Jesus was telling us that if God cares for such temporal things as wildflowers, why do not we trust him with our lives. Even pastors need to be reminded from time to time:
I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. Isaiah 46:4 (NLT)
George Mueller, the great apostle of faith said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” We can live a carefree life when we believe that God cares for us. Have faith in God!
Steve Ekeroth