“Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” I Peter 5:7 (NABRE)
As a writer, I know how much word choice matters. There’s a big difference between “He strolled to her front door,” “He stormed to her front door,” and “He danced to her front door.” No matter how you slice it, he made it to her front door. But the manner in which he got there can make all the difference.
To a degree, that can be true of scripture, too, as in the verse, “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” The meaning is clear: give your anxieties to the Lord. He will manage them for you because he loves you.
That’s one of the most comforting things about being a Christian. Worries are a prodigious burden to carry. God will bear their weight for us if we will just let go of them. He nullifies their power by having a plan and purpose for our lives in which everything works together for our greater good.
And in what manner are we supposed to let go of those worries? What does it mean to “cast” our worries on him? “Cast” doesn’t mean to gently lay something down. It means to throw it forcefully away, like dross.
Does that mean God has no regard for our concerns? No, it means he has no regard for our futile habit of holding on to them, obsessing over them, churning them over and over, allowing them to distract us from things that matter more. He makes this clear when he says, “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matt. 6:27) and when he states, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself” (Matt. 6:34).
He is most emphatic when he says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
The dominance of prayer over worry is concisely explained in this poster someone recently shared with me:
Worry and anxiety simply recycle the muck God wants us to cast off, like a drain that returns to the tap. But prayer egests the toxic sludge, pouring it onto the cross where Christ purifies it.
I know it’s much easier said than done, but it’s true. Next time you feel yourself caught in the worry cycle, turn your thoughts into prayers. Don’t rehash them, cycling through potential scenarios. There is no power in that. The only one with the power to make things right is God, so cast your worries onto him through prayer.
Graceful contemplations
“Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.” —Corrie Ten Boom
“Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves: Yesterday's regret and tomorrow's worries.” —Warren Wiersbe
“No one can pray and worry at the same time.” —Max Lucado
Thank you for reading!
As always, thank you so much for reading Graceful Intrusions! In June, my youth group celebrated our high school graduates with our traditional gift of a Christian flag. I was also able to spend time with my son and his fiancee at the Charleston Riverdogs baseball stadium, and I saw the wonderful movie Wildcat about the great writer Flannery O’Connor, who inspired this newsletter! I highly recommend it!
What a great reminder. I have to admit it’s easier to cast away worry in my older years. I remember worry gripping my heart a decade or two ago and it was unbearable. “This too will pass.”
Much needed daily reminder! Thank you for writing and sharing!