Day 6 of 7
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, ESV). – Apostle Peter
Final Thoughts
Peter is trying to chip away at the root issue of anxiety in this passage. We are now six days deep into this study, and sometimes we have to clear the fog before we can see what is really going on. We love to read verse 7, which tells us to “cast all our cares on Him,” but it is a bit more difficult to read verse 6. Why would someone with anxiety need to humble themselves? Is it because pride is the root of our anxiety? That is a tough pill to swallow. Am I anxious because I think more highly of myself than I should (Romans 12:3)?
Let’s think this through.
– I am worried because I want to be in control.
– I am overwhelmed when things don’t go the way I want.
– I am not sure what I’ll do if I lose my job.
– What will happen to my family if we’re forced to move?
– If I get sick, who will run my household or my business?
– What will people think of me if I get low grades?”
I could go on and on with different examples, but I think you understand where this is going. Anxiety is a pride problem. Before we cast our cares on Him, we have to humble ourselves before Him. We prefer to stand above and cast them down. Sometimes, we have to look up to Him in humility, and once we do… once we do… we realize He is in control!
He is in control, not me. His will should be done, not mine (Mark 14:36). What if we said, “God, if I get sick, I trust You. Father, if people don’t notice me, that’s okay, because You do! Heavenly Father, help me to remember that I need to serve Your plans instead of mine.”
Ask yourself right now, Do I really want to be in control instead of God? That’s a lot of responsibility, isn’t it? Our brains weren’t designed for that kind of authority. He is God and we are not.
Once we really take the right place in verse 6, we look at verse 7 and understand that we can cast our anxieties on Him. Why? Because He cares for us.
We can cast our anxieties on Him. If we can trust Him with our souls, with our eternal destination—if we say as Christians that we are depending on Him for everything after we die—then why is it so hard to trust Him with the things in our temporary lives? A difficult question, for sure.
He does care for us. Does it make you pause when you think that God cares? The One who created everything, the One who holds all things together, the One who has the power to perform miracles—He cares about you. Let that sink in for a few moments!
This is challenging for me—to be transparent. I have been diagnosed with cancer three times. Twice, it was a complete shock. Once, it required a 5-day hospital stay with major surgery involved. I have been through chemotherapy twice, one of those times with complications with lung toxicity that gave me quite a scare. I have been poked with needles more than 180 times and have taken over 400 pills. I can tell you what health anxiety is because I’m in the thick of it. I have been diagnosed with PTSD because of those experiences.
Now, any time I get even the smallest symptom, I can quickly spiral into major anxiety. I would be embarrassed to tell you how many different doctors I have seen, tests I have had, and ER trips I have made. The doctors I work with have agreed that my anxiety can sometimes get so severe that my body tells me there are symptoms that are not even really there. I am also a bit hesitant to tell you how low I have been when the anxiety turns into depression. It is real.
I tell you this so that you know I never approach anxiety as a lecture, a blog, or only an academic pursuit. I come at it professionally, but also personally. I write these studies for you, but also for myself.
I want to remind you as this study comes to a close that the Bible works. The three biblical steps we have looked at truly can help you change. There is hope. This hope is more real than your anxiety. Our God is greater than our biggest worry.
“For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:20, ESV).
Our Savior has been through anxiety and agony far worse than we have. Explore His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:32-42. We can turn to Him, because He cares for us.
If you would like to hear more about my story, you can listen here for your encouragement:
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“Anxiety is a pride problem” is a great quote! Very true in my case as well.