Fear Not! A Journey From Fear To FreedomEsimerkki

  

Cast All Your Anxiety on Him

“If I say, ‘My foot slips,’ Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul” (Ps. 94:18–19). 

An anxious thought can be harmless enough, but when you dwell on that thought it can quickly turn into worry and eventually worry will turn to fear. That is why Paul told us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5, NIV). 

So how do you deal with your anxieties? The world offers many alternatives, but I don’t think any compare to the Lord’s prescription. Some people turn to drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, or food to comfort them. Some of the drugs are legitimate and come via a prescription, but you can’t medicate your anxious thoughts away. Nor can you eat, drink, or smoke them away. 

So what is God’s prescription for anxiety? Paul tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7, NIV). We don’t have to be anxious about anything because God takes requests twenty-four hours a day. You can address that request to Jesus, and He will make sure your Heavenly Father gets it. 

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7, NIV). How much of your anxiety does Peter tell us to turn over to the Lord? All of it! Peter tells us don’t just set it down politely, but he says to cast it on Him. Webster defines cast as “to throw, fling, or hurl.” So why fling it? Because the stuff can become toxic if we hold on to it long enough. 

If your back is aching because you are carrying a bag of anxious thoughts around all day, the question becomes, why? When your foot slips (and it eventually will), the Lord will hold you up just as He did the psalmist, and His comforts will delight your soul as well. So whatever anxious thought or burden you are carrying around today, cast it on Him because He does care for you. 

Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, when I hold on to my anxious thoughts. Help me to be obedient and cast them all on You. Thank You for caring enough to take all my junk. Your comforts do delight my soul. May the peace of God guard my heart and mind today. In Jesus name, amen.