Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Understanding that God really cares about us is the key to combating anxiety. We can cast all of our fears on God because He is looking out for us. Since the Fall, the attacks of the enemy have conditioned the human race to low self esteem. Jesus addresses this fatal insecurity by telling us to look at creation: "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" (Matthew 6:26).

We have to get used to the idea that we are greatly valued by God—that is how we cast our fears on Him. Often we meditate on negative circumstances until we are so bone dry we can no longer believe God cares enough to help. By giving over to worry and anxiety, we are essentially saying that we are not worth any more than the birds or the grass (Matthew 6:26, 30). Yet, the Bible teaches us that we are wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

In Luke, Martha lets fear grip her, and she questions if Jesus is even concerned about her struggle (Luke 10:40). Jesus responds, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10: 41-42). Just as Mary chose to focus on Jesus, we can choose to cast all our anxieties on Him by remembering that He cares for us.

There is no question about His love, because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God cares about our future (Jeremiah 29:11). He gets us! And He has answers: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). God has called each of us to cast all our fears on Him and to trust Him with our earthly lives.

Trust Him.
Pastor Jeff




© 2007 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.