Jonathan's Perspective on the Answer to Anxiety

Many people deal with anxiety on a daily basis and I am certainly not immune to worries that can weigh me down.  Speaking from recent experience, holding onto my worries has led me to moments of despair.  Those are not fun places to be and should be avoided at all costs to protect the mental health of both yourself and those around you.  The only lasting solution is found in the conscious act of placing your worries on the shoulders of the God who made you.

A passage that has given me clear insight into this issue was 1 Peter 5:6-7.  "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  I came across this passage in the Answering Anxiety devotional on the Youversion Bible app and I will be using some of the material from that study to "unpack", as my Pastor would say, the truths within.

God's mighty hand is His sovereign will over all of creation.  I am grateful His will is decidedly benevolent toward me as a follower of Christ.  That incredible blessing assures me that He will indeed "lift me up in due time."  When I hear that phrase, in view of my declining health, I instantly think of God's promise to take me to Heaven one day.  Oh, the joy I feel when I imagine that arrival.  I will be able to walk again, unencumbered by any impairment.  I will lift my hands in praise and shout for joy to my God and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Enjoying all the beauty of Heaven will be wonderful as well.

The latter verse contains an instruction that is relevant every day.  The following explanation was contained in the Answering Anxiety devotional on the Youversion Bible app.

"What does it mean to cast our cares upon God? The same word translated “casting” is used in Luke 19:35, when Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem, and the disciples had obtained a colt. They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks on it. This is a transfer, just like throwing a blanket onto something.

You gather up all the things that are troubling you right now – you bag them up, you throw them onto the Lord." (1)

This process is not easy and involves daily action on our part to purposefully surrender our cares and worries to God.  I say it isn't easy because of our all too human tendency to temporarily throw our burndens onto the Lord only to take them back again. We must battle against this temptation with steadfast effort and why wouldn't we?  When we choose to take our worries and place them back on our shoulders, we are basically saying, "God, I can handle these better than you can."  Really?  Can we honestly think our limited power and short-sighted view on the future gives us better ability to handle these things than our Sovereign God who holds the future in the palm of His Hand?  Once we humble ourselves by acknowledging the obvious answer to that question we gain fuel for a daily effort to let our God and Savior handle our worries.  You will find that your anxiety will dissipate quickly when those things aren't weighing heavily upon you.

Through it all, remember that God is good and is our loving and faithful Shepherd.  "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:4, 6) 

God will surely lead us to the Promised Land where we won't have ANYTHING to worry about.  All we have to do is to choose not to give up, not to despair, and not to worry.  Let us cast all our anxieties on the Lord today!





(1) Taken from Day 5 of the Answering Anxiety devotional on the Youversion Bible app.  Originally appeared on the Straight Truth Podcast with Pastor Richard Caldwell and his guest Pastor Ken Ramey.