Be Still

^“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

I have learned over the years to pay attention when God speaks multiple times because he is usually trying to teach me something. I don’t consider myself a worrier or an anxious person, but in the last week the topic of fear, anxiety and heaviness has come up repeatedly.

It started last Friday during my prayer time when I couldn’t shake this overwhelming sense of heaviness.  It felt like a blend of worry, foreboding and an overall heavy spirit.  I wasn’t aware of any reason for most of those (though it’s usually easy for us to find something to worry about at any time). My first thought was that these weren’t my own feelings, but instead it was God telling me I needed to pray for all the people I know struggling with this.  So, I did.  It got better, but then that heaviness came back shortly after. By the end of my prayer time, I was still struggling with it and reached out to two other prayer warriors to see if they felt the same and to identify the source. One of them immediately prayed for me, binding the spirit of heaviness, which lifted right away.

That afternoon, I searched for an online sermon and thought of a pastor I hadn’t heard in months but always enjoyed.  I put in his name and the first sermon that popped up was called “Casting Your Cares”.  I couldn’t help but laugh—I could see a theme developing.

Sunday morning came and our Pastor was preaching on Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Who would have thought the focus would be partnered with Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus talks about taking up his yoke that is easy and light.   Okay, God, I’m all ears. 

Wednesday morning, I sat down for my time with the Lord, and I heard the quiet voice, “Tiffany, Tiffany you are worried about many things, only one thing is needed.” I knew those words well.  It was a succinct version of what the Lord said to Martha while Mary was sitting at his feet listening to Him.  And believe it or not, our Lent sermon that evening was on Mary and Martha.  A love tap, to confirm his word to me—or maybe a whack over the head. My time with the Lord had been lackluster the previous days and it bothered me.  I couldn’t put my finger on why until that morning when I heard those words and realized—I was distracted.  I was thinking about my to do lists, and I was worried about the “cares of the world”.  My mind was thinking on every other thing, even though I was trying so hard to focus on Him—to be still and to listen.

I feel like this is where so much of society lives these days—bombarded with thoughts, fears and worries, real or imagined.  Followers of Christ pray constantly for relief from anxiety, while others, including believers, distract themselves with many things to avoid their worries.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” If only it were as simple as reading a verse and making it happen. As I was meditating on this verse, I couldn’t help but think of Peter, the fisherman.  He was the one in the boat “casting a net into the lake” (Mark 1:16) when Jesus called him to be his disciple. Unless you are a fisherman “cast” isn’t a term we often use. But Peter knew that word well and what it meant.   For the average fisherman using rods instead of nets, “cast” still carries the same meaning: to throw out or upon. It is the same Greek word that is used in Luke 19:35 when they bring the colt to Jesus to ride into Jerusalem and they throw their cloaks on the donkey for Jesus to sit on. When you cast something, you no longer hold onto it.  You’ve thrown it onto something else.  In this case it is our anxieties—in some translations, our cares—that we are told to cast onto Jesus.  Why? “Because he cares for you”. The God of the universe cares deeply about you—so much so that he does not want you carrying burdens around. Instead, he wants to handle them for you. 

It is the same concept Jesus himself speaks to in Matthew 11:28-30 when he says, ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” When he created us, he intended for us to live in an environment free from sin and always in his presence.  That also means it was free from every worry or burden, fear, sadness or depression. That, however, changed once sin entered the world, but his presence and his desire for us to live free from those things and in His presence did not. 

In the story of Mary and Martha, Martha is running around preparing a meal for Jesus while her sister Mary “…sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” (Luke 10:39) In frustration Martha says to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40) And Jesus replies “Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41).  Jesus did care, but not about the things Martha was concerned with.  He cared about what she truly needed.  The same thing her sister needed, to sit and listen to what he had to say.  Humbled before Him, kneeling at his feet. I find the posture important. 

You see, the verse before 1 Peter 5:7 (which tells us to cast all our anxieties on him) says to, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). And in Matthew right after the invitation for those who are weak and heavy burdened to come to him for rest, Jesus tells us to “…learn from [him], for [he] is gentle and humble in heart…” (Matthew 11:29).  So much of our anxiety, worry and fear come from an unwillingness to let go and humble ourselves. It often stems from believing we know better than our heavenly Father or fearing He may not act in our best interest. If we are completely honest it is a place of pride.  When we truly understand who God really is and how much He cares, the natural response is kneeling at his feet, humbled and worshipping. When we are in complete awe of who our God is and trust his amazing and perfect love, all those concerns become small in his greatness. If we would be still and listen, we would be reminded of his promises—the ones that bring forth faith for the things that cause our worry.  Romans 10:17 (NASB) says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If we are not reading the word of God and listening to it and his voice, then our problems and worries and fears only increase. Our faith cannot grow without his word. 

1 Peter 5:8-9 says “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…” I don’t think that verse is immediately after the instructions to “cast all our anxieties on him” by accident.  God is very aware of the reality that we have an enemy who wants to keep us in a place of fear, worry, anxiety and heaviness. Most of us do a good job of getting there on our own, but Satan is more than happy to help escort us there with his lies and “what-if” scenarios.  But God does not leave us without the tools and ability to resist him. It is through our faith that we are able to stand firm against the enemy.  In Ephesians 6:17 Paul talks about the “…sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” that we have been given as part of our armor.  It is the only offensive weapon we have and certainly if Jesus used it while tempted in the desert we should do so in our own lives. 

In Matthew, when Jesus is preaching the sermon on the mount he says, “do not worry about your life…” (Matthew 7:25). He directs his audience (and still us today), who is worried about what they will eat, drink and wear, to think about how God takes care of the birds and the lilies and the grass.  Then at the end of verse 30 he says, “…will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” You see, our worries, anxieties, and fears, come either from pride, lack of faith, or both.  Jesus concludes by telling us “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:33-34)

I know that there are real things we face that are challenging, scary and unknown.  But it doesn’t make God’s ability to deal with them any less. He knows all things before they happen.  And yes, there are real chemical imbalances that can cause some of these things as well—again, he is not surprised by that. He is able to overcome those as well and bring all things back into order, whether through healing, medication or counseling.  It is not an easy concept; it is probably one of the least confessed and repented of sins because it seems like such a normal part of everyone’s lives that we think we’re supposed to live with it. And yet over and over again he says, do not worry, do not fear, do not be anxious.  If he intended it to be a normal part of our lives, he would not give us those instructions—which also means he has given us the solutions.

Let’s go back to Peter.  He was a bold and loyal disciple of Christ—the one Jesus named “the rock”. Yet, at the crucial moment before Jesus’ death, he denied knowing him three times out of fear for his own life.  It is after this denial that we find Peter back where he was when Jesus originally called him—in a boat fishing with other disciples.  He was likely worried about failing his Savior in his darkest hour, carrying the heaviness of all that had transpired, and wondering if things could ever be right again.

Early in the morning Jesus is walking along the shoreline and calls out to them and asks “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” (John 21:5) To which they replied “No”.  “And [Jesus] said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.” John 21:6 (NKJV) (Emphasis mine).

When I read this, I see Jesus saying, “you’ve been doing it your way; now do it mine and see what happens.  You’ve been casting your net in the same place you always cast it, returning to old ways before you knew me and are therefore seeing no results.”  As soon as they cast the net where he told them and saw the results, they recognized that it was Jesus.   This was the same thing that happened when he called them to be his disciples.  Not only that but as soon as Peter recognizes that it is Jesus he jumps overboard and swims to shore to meet him. Jesus restores him, because he cares for him.  He cares deeply for him, in the same way that he cares for each of us.  No problem, no worry, no fear is too big or too small.  He says, “give it to me. Cast it my way. I will take it and use it to bring fruit, to bring provision, to bring restoration and growth and a recognition of who I AM. 

I imagine when Peter wrote “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you,” it had deep personal meaning for him.  Not only was it the inspired word of God, but it was something he had experienced for himself many times over.  He wrote it knowing it was the truth, not only for his life, but for anyone else who would choose to do so.  So, my challenge to you (and myself) today is to cast off whatever it is that you are carrying.  Throw it out and don’t pick it up again.  And if you do, throw it back over and over again until you fully trust he will take care of it and do a better job than you or I ever could.