Casting your anxiety on God really works
You have probably noticed how inclined we are as human beings to obsess over our problems. If you are open to the idea of God helping you address your anxiety, the following information could literally change your life.
Whether you realize it or not, no one understands your worries and anxiety better than your Creator. And so you might as well turn to the One who knows exactly what makes you tick. Thankfully, the Lord is more than able to work out the kinks that wreak havoc within our heart and mind.
The Apostle Peter penned this golden nugget of truth: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). It may sound simplistic, and even too good to be true, but I assure you that this God-ordained method of dealing with anxiety really works!
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The Greek word for “cast” in 1 Peter 5:7 is used one other time in the New Testament. Luke describes how the disciples “cast” cloaks on a young male donkey in preparation for the Messiah's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Luke 19:35) Imagine casting your garments of worry and anxiety upon Jesus. Have you learned how to let go and let God? It is easier said than done, but the Lord is eager to assist His people because He wants our hearts to experience rest in Him.
A transfer takes place whenever a believer in Jesus casts his or her anxiety on the Lord. You give Him whatever is pressing upon your heart and mind, and the anxiety begins to be replaced with God's supernatural peace. It is not magic. It is actually far better than magic, as you gladly welcome Jesus into the equation.
You may be tempted to think: “The Lord is not interested in hearing about the minor issues that cause me stress.” My friend, that simply is not true. Jesus does indeed help His followers with anything we bring to Him – big or small. Sometimes what we perceive to be a “little issue” may actually be causing the most stress in our life.
Regardless of the size of the problem, God's peace and power are available to His children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But it is essential that we bring Him our concerns and actually cast them upon Him. Otherwise, we continue to carry burdens that Christ would have gladly carried for us.
Compare the casting of anxiety on God to a fisherman casting his line into the water dozens of times over the course of a day. Have you cast any of your worries on the Lord today? What about during the past week? If you truly desire relief from your anxiety, don’t just sit in the boat. Start casting all your anxiety on Jesus, and continue casting until God’s peace fills your heart.
You see, it is one thing for us to realize that God can help us when we worry, but it is another thing to persistently cast our anxiety on Christ. And thankfully, Jesus never gets tired of us coming to Him over and over again.
You will never find a better friend than Jesus. No one understands you as well as the Lord, and no one loves you and cares about you as much as Jesus. But if you are not yet in the habit of talking to God about everything, it will take some practice for you to develop this healthy habit. You will get better at it through experience once you actually start giving your anxiety to Christ. And you know what? It really works!
Have you received Jesus as your Savior? This is the initial step in dealing with anxiety. You first must bring your sin to the foot of the cross. After all, it is your sin that has separated you from God. You need a relationship with the Lord before you can talk to Him daily as one of His children. That makes sense, right?
The way to enter a relationship with God is to repent of your sins and trust Christ to wash them away with the blood He shed for you on the cross. Before you can trust God with your anxiety, you will first need to trust Him as your Savior. Will you cast your sin upon the Lord today? Will you bring it to the cross where Jesus died to save you?
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It sounds so amazing, yet multitudes of people never take the Lord up on his gracious offer. Imagine that. Our Creator invites anyone to come to Him who is weary and burdened by sin and by the anxieties of life.
The late author and minister E.M. Bounds wrote,
“Trust is not a belief that God can bless and that He will bless, but that He does bless, here and now. Trust always operates in the present tense. Hope looks to the future. Trust looks to the present. Hope expects. Trust possesses. Trust receives what prayer acquires. So, what prayer needs, at all times, is abiding and abundant trust.”
Hudson Taylor has been described as the most widely used missionary in China’s history. Taylor wrote,
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest of positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient."
Pastor Max Lucado said, “No one can pray and worry at the same time.” The following prayer can help you begin to cast your sin and anxiety upon Christ: “Dear Lord, Forgive my sins. Wash me, Jesus, with your precious blood, and replace the anxiety in my heart with peace. Amen."
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
