Fear

Fear

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7, NIV

First Peter 5:7 was one of the earliest Bible verses I memorized as a child, and it is a verse I have taught to my children. But even when we have memorized a verse from the Bible, it doesn’t mean we have yet learned the lesson and seen it worked out in our lives. God wants us to cast all our anxiety on him. Other words for anxiety are fear, apprehension, doubt, fretfulness, panic, nervousness, or uncertainty. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Perhaps you’re there now because your husband lost his job, you are caring for an ailing parent, or you’re worried that your child might get into an accident.

One of the reasons God permits difficulties in our lives is to present us with opportunities to learn and exercise lessons of faith. We read in Mark 4 that Jesus had been teaching his disciples when they got into a boat together on the Sea of Galilee and promptly encountered a violent storm. Even though (1) Jesus had told the disciples they were going to the other side of the lake, (2) he was with them, and (3) he was calm, they still cried out to him, “Teacher, don’t you even care?” (v. 38). We sometimes do the same thing!

After Jesus calmed the storm, he spoke to his disciples about the unbelief in their hearts. He was more concerned about the problem within them than the problems around them. This God who is in control wants us to cast (throw, fling, heave, or thrust) our anxieties and fears on him because he cares for us.

God who is in control of everything,

Thank you that you welcome our worries and fears. Thank you that you are not indifferent to our cries, but that you care for us. Amen.