Casting Our Cares on Jesus
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
When you think of the word, CAST, what comes to mind? Tossing a fishing line and lure into the pond or lake OR casting a pair of dice or a net. Peter uses the term casting in reference for fishing, since that was familiar to many folks of his time. How is this term useful in this scripture as it relates to our anxieties?
Anxiety can overwhelm a person when they least expect it. It can cause a physical reaction like our heart racing, our stomach feeling queasy or you may get the shakes. It can affect your mind with panic, sense of dread, inability to relax or as I sometimes say “playing the tape of some event over and over in your mind.” So what does this and other scripture say about how to handle anxiety?
When Peter uses the word cast it implies that there is an action that we are to perform. We do not run away, or ignore the reaction or say we are not anxious. We are to toss it or get rid of it like a sack that is too heavy to carry on our shoulders around all day…. We are to cast it onto the shoulders of the one who can handle all our worries, Jesus Christ. If every day we don’t cast this sack of worries onto Jesus, then we can become so burdened that we will not be able to function. I have known people who have become so burdened by anxiety that they would panic and even fear leaving their home to run a simple errand. They will certainly not be able to do what God has planned for them to do. If we are anxious, then we will not be able to do what God has planned for us.
So next week, we will look more closely at this scripture and learn what we are to do to handle anxiety……
A few songs;