Anytime I go somewhere with my husband, I know when we need to park, he will want to back in. My husband backs in because it allows him to exit more easily later—he prepares for what’s to come by first setting himself up properly.
In the same way, when we approach 1 Peter 5:7, we need to ‘back in,’ starting with the last part of the verse, ‘for he cares for you.’ Why? Because it’s only when we truly understand and believe that God cares for us that we can fully trust Him with our anxieties. We must start by anchoring ourselves in His love and care before we can cast our cares onto Him. Just like parking in reverse sets up an easier exit, beginning with understanding God's love helps us release our worries with greater confidence.
These five words hold an important truth that we have to be willing to acknowledge. If we don’t truly believe that God cares for us, we won’t be willing to let Him take care of our anxieties and worries. It's only when we believe in his tremendous, overwhelming love that we can be willing to trust him with our worries and fears.
Only after we know the last half of the verse deep in our hearts can we focus on doing the first part of the verse, "Cast your anxieties on him..."
Looking up the word 'cast' in my Bible app showed me the meaning in Greek is "to throw." I did a little more research online and found this definition, " to hurl, to throw, or to cast, and it often means to violently throw or to fling something with great force." (https://renner.org/article/cast-all-your-care-on-the-lord/)
There is a difference between when we lightly toss something versus when we want to get rid of something so badly that we put great effort and energy into throwing or hurling it away from us! We are not meant to hold on to our burdens. Our physical bodies, minds, and emotional selves were not meant to hold onto them! Nor are we meant to half-heartedly toss them aside. We are to throw them – to hurl them - upon our Savior!
This requires humility. We must acknowledge that we can’t do it alone and realize we don’t have to.
He cares for us deeply, and our faith allows us to rest in that truth, knowing He will take care of everything in His perfect way.
Comments