We all have them, right? Cares. Concerns. Anxieties. Difficulties. They come in all different types, all different sizes, all different magnitudes. Sometimes they are so seemingly insignificant that we give them little to no thought. Other times they are of such enormity we find ourselves obsessed with them. What are we to do with them? How are we, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, to handle the cares of this world?

The Bible offers the answer. One of the most quoted verses from the writing of the Apostle Peter is found in 1 Peter 5:7. Please read these words slowly, taking in the overwhelming comfort that God intends us to derive from this word of promise.

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7, NKJV

Bask in the wonder of those words. Read them again, mulling over each word. To really get the full weight of this statement we need to read the preceding verse, as it sheds much light on this powerful affirmation.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

1 Peter 56-7, NKJV:

The prerequisite for casting our care upon the Lord is to humble ourselves under God’s hand. A spirit of humility shows that we recognize our dependence upon Him. Oftentimes it seems that we feel as if we are self-sufficient in handling the cares of the world. We feel that we are well-equipped to deal with whatever cares come our way. That exudes a spirit of arrogance and self-reliance. It communicates the idea that we don’t need God’s assistance, but that we are able to handle whatever troubles, afflictions, anxieties and cares invade our arena of personal experience.

But we should be quick to recognize, and ready to admit our total dependence upon God. We stand in constant need of His grace, and are ill-equipped to handle life’s cares without it. We should learn to admit openly and honestly that we truly need Him every hour.

I love the way this verse is translated in the J.B.Phillips translation of the New Testament:

“So, humble yourselves under God’s strong hand, and in his own good time he will lift you up. You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.”

Wow! You can cast, throw, your anxieties on Him. The word translated cast is found only one other time in the New Testament. It is in Luke 19:35, where we are told the people cast their garments upon the colt Jesus rode. They were throwing these pieces of clothing, just as we are told to throw our cares upon the Lord. We are encouraged to cast our cares, our concerns, our anxieties, upon Jesus. Why? Because we are His personal concern. You are the personal concern of the Lord Himself. Say it yourself: “I am the personal concern of the Lord.” Say it again. And again. And again. “I am the personal concern of Jesus. He cares for me!”

So, what are you anxious about today? Whatever it is, you need to accept the invitation of the Lord and throw it on Jesus. And then, rest in the peace of knowing that He will take care of it. Paul says it this way in his letter to the Philippians:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

When we, with humility, cast the whole weight of our anxieties upon the Lord, then His peace takes residence in our hearts, minds, and spirits. We are able to rest in the realization that His care for us, personally, is all we need, and is more than sufficient to handle my anxieties. And please note the promise we are given in this beautiful passage: the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus! We are not promised that God will remove the cause of the anxiety, but that He will give peace in the midst of it. How unbelievably awesome is that!

I’ll close this week with a reminder of an incident in the life of Jesus. He and the disciples were in a boat, crossing the sea. Jesus had fallen asleep, and was resting peacefully in the boat. The disciples are fearful that they will perish in the storm, so they awaken Jesus, crying out, “Lord, don’t you care that we perish?” Try to picture this in your mind’s eye. There are at least four seasoned fishermen in that boat. Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishers by trade. I feel sure they had been caught in storms at sea before.

But obviously, this storm was different. This one was so furious that these seasoned fishermen thought they could not survive the storm’s intensity. So what do they do? They awaken the carpenter! They cry out to Jesus! Now, granted, that is exactly what they should have done, and what we should do when caught in the midst of the storms of life. But this story is quite humorous when you think about it.

And the point I would like to make is simply this: what would have been more powerful – to see Jesus calm the storm, or to witness Jesus sleeping peacefully through the storm. When we are caught in the middle of one of those ferocious storms of life, we should do as they did: cry out to Jesus. And then, let Him work. He may choose to remove us from the storm (or, the storm from us), or He may choose to grant us peace as we go through the storm. Whichever He chooses, it will prove to be best. Why? Because we are His personal concern.