“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Cast all your anxiety . . .
I’ll be honest: The mental picture I’ve always had of this verse is of hurling my anxiety at God like a fisherman casting his line or net into the sea.
Can you see the problem?
When I associate that mental image with this verse, I often end up doing exactly what any self-respecting fisherman does with that line or net: I don’t let go. I haul it back in. As I do, I take up my anxiety all over again.
That isn’t what God wants you and me to do with our anxiety. He doesn’t want us to take it back again once it’s been given to him.
The Greek word that Peter uses in this verse has two main meanings:
- To propel something from one place to another (most commonly, the act of throwing clothes or a saddle on an animal used for riding).
- To transfer someone’s concerns to another.
The second meaning is the one for this verse. Peter urges his readers, including you and me, to transfer our anxiety and worry—all of it—to God. To give it to him and leave it in his hands.
What does that look like?
For me, it’s being intentional in my prayer life. I don’t have to hide my fears, weaknesses, concerns, and anxieties from God. He already knows about them and wants me to bring them to him! So I pray, “God, this [fill in the blank] is something I’m anxious about. Help me let go of it and give it to you. Help me find peace and comfort in the promises you make in your Word.”
It’s also being intentional about what I do when I encounter those things that make me anxious, fearful, and worried. I go to God’s Word.
In his Word and sacraments, our loving God and Father directs our attention to his Son, Jesus, and what he has done for us.
No matter what our lives look like here, no matter what trials we’re currently facing, no matter what fears, anxieties, worries, cares, or concerns threaten to overwhelm us, our God reminds us again and again that because of Jesus, he loves us. He forgives us. He cares for us. Heaven is ours.
Dear Christian, the temptation, the struggle, is to keep reaching for our anxieties and worries or to give up some but hold on to others. God wants it all. He wants all of our anxiety and worry.
Why? Peter wrote it so beautifully and simply.
God wants us to cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for us.
If you struggle with any degree of anxiety, I encourage you to check out William Woodington’s Whatever Is True: A Christian View of Anxiety.
Woodington struggles with chronic anxiety, so when he shares his personal experiences and what he’s learned from God’s Word about bearing crosses in this life, his words are filled with heartfelt authenticity and honesty.
If you’re interested in hearing from William Woodington himself about the nature of anxiety, what it means to trust in God in the midst of it, and how you can reframe your mental health struggles in light of God’s mercy, check out this Faith Footnotes podcast episode: “Navigating Anxiety With Faith.”
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House and a 2023 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation with his family.
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