Jump Start # 1421

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

  Our verse today is a simple reminder about how God feels towards us and a reminder that we do not have to carry our burdens alone. This passage is found right before Peter’s direct warning about Satan, the roaring lion, who is seeking someone to devour. Be alert, the brethren are told. But here, it is cast all your anxiety on Him. Burden God with your burdens.

Several thoughts come from this simple verse:

First, for some, they wonder and even question whether God cares for them. The choices in life and the misfortunes of life have made their journey hard. Some have the difficulties that comes with a handicapped child. They love their child with all their heart, but it wasn’t a choice that they would have made. If God cares, why? Others just can’t seem to get out of a hole that they are in. It might be one financial disaster after another. It might be one crisis that follows another crisis. They’d love to have a break. They’d love to have some good news once in a while. Others, they notice, seem to sail through life so smoothly, but for them, the winds are always contrary and the journey is difficult. They question, “Does God love us? Or, maybe we’ve done something wrong that He is punishing us for?” Common thoughts. Easy to think this way.  The absence of difficulty in your life is not an indication of how much God loves you. Peter states it, and it is true, God cares for you. John would say repeatedly, “God loves.” Those that struggle more, have more to cast upon God. Their lives may be closer to the Lord than those who journey with ease.

Second, it is easy to think that I am the only one with anxiety, problems or at least, my woes are greater than your woes. You hear that sometimes. A group of friends start talking about the troubles that they have had, and like the old fishing stories, someone has to top the last story with even greater woes. The burdens that you face may seem like nothing to me, but they are huge to you. We shouldn’t make one feel bad because they are anxious about things. Encourage them to take it to the Lord. “Have you prayed about that,” is something my wife says often. She’s right.

Third, it is amazing that God can do this. I know a family who has a prodigal. Their heart is crushed by his wayward choices. I know several families who have loved ones in the hospital or are going through serious health issues. I know many who are very discouraged about where they worship. I know some that are praying for their college kids who are away from home. There are soon-to-be parents that are praying for a healthy delivery. There are those who are grieving. There are those who are traveling and they pray for safe journeys. There are those who are learning about Jesus for the first time and they are praying to learn and find Him. There are those who are teaching God’s word and they are praying for an audience with an open heart. So many prayers. So many concerns. Many of them are so great that it would crush us. God wants not just some of our concerns, but all of them. Cast ALL your anxiety upon Him. Great is our God. Our God is big. He can handle all of them. He is able to do things for all of us. Sometimes we only see our little spot in the world and we tend to forget about those elsewhere, especially on the other side of the globe. Prayers going up from Africa. European prayers. Collective prayers from congregations. Prayers said with tears streaming down the cheek. Prayers made in desperation. Prayers with broken hearts. Prayers begging for a second chance. Sometimes you and I have to take a break from dealing with issues and problems. God doesn’t. Prayers begging God to save a marriage. Prayers wanting God to open a closed heart. I have a book with a collection of children’s prayers. One of my favorites says, “Dear God, please take care of Yourself. If anything happens to You, we’re all sunk!” How true.

Fourth, just saying a prayer doesn’t end our responsibility nor our obligations. We pray for the church to grow. Great. Now, we need to go spread the word. Just saying a prayer isn’t enough. God works with us, through us and along side of us. Praying for our children’s souls is great, but now we need to lead them and show them the Lord. Pray for the sick, now go do what you can. It’s easy to simply say, “Well, I prayed for you.” That’s powerful. That’s nice. But, is that it? After the Amen, our part just begins.

Fifth, understanding what God truly wants helps us with those anxious moments. God wants you to be saved. God wants you to walk with the Lord. God wants you to glorify His name with your life. God wants you in Heaven. Now to wake us up, to get us to see that, there may be some paths through those dark valleys of death. There may be some hard times to open our eyes. We want the soft pillow. We want the easy cross. We want convenience. We want no hassles. Those choices may not put us close to God. We like the trophies in life. We like successes. We like victories. We like winning. It doesn’t take much of those things to make us forget about God and to start believing that it was all us that accomplished those things. Humble times has a way of humbling our hearts. We pray for God to remove those anxious moments. God may want you to journey through them and to learn some things and to be better because of them. On the other side of those anxious moments, we ought to have developed a greater character and a greater dependence upon the Lord.

Sixth, we cast those anxious moments upon the Lord because He sees the big picture. He can do things that no one else can. He can open doors that have been closed. God is able. God can do all things.

Anxious moments. Anxious times. All your anxieties. Don’t hold them. Don’t just show them to God. Cast them to Him. Be done with them. Toss them out of your heart. Give them to the Lord and then trust that He will know what’s best. Anxious hearts become heavy, discouraged, and lonely. Anxious hearts take us away from the Lord. We see our problems more than we see Him.

I went to the Cincinnati Reds baseball game recently. They have a relief pitcher nicknamed “The Cuban Missile.” He was throwing 100 MPH. I’ve been to a game where he threw a pitch 102 MPH. Blazing fast. That’s the idea I get from Peter’s words. Cast those anxious moments to the Lord. Don’t toss them. Don’t hand them. Don’t look at them. Fire a fast ball to Heaven. Let the Lord take control. Follow His lead. Trust in His ways. Do what He says.

All of them…

Roger