Think About Such Things
Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
There are times in my life where I forget to lean into the word and remember all that God promises. I get flustered, I get scared, I get too much on my plate and I can’t make sense of my thoughts and emotions. I’m shipwrecked.
The Bible says, to “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
This is a promise that God not only cares for you but that He also wants to carry you in your time of need. The word “cast” means to throw, so THROW your anxieties and worries on Jesus! Friend, He’s holding you in every season, every situation and will NEVER leave you alone to deal with things on your own. So knowing that, you don’t have to live in fear – God is in control!
I can remember a time 5 years ago where I let anxiety and stress get the best of me. I stayed in bed most of the day – I cried a whole lot of tears and I lived in this swamp of heavy emotions with all sorts of thoughts weighing me down. After weeks of this, I woke up one morning eager to conquer what was owning me. The Holy Spirit drew me to Philippians 4 that morning – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is ADMIRABLE – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
‘Think about such things’ hit me like a ton of bricks. That day I started turning my thoughts to Jesus, to the cross, remembering the promises of the Word of God, and I began shifting my focus to the Father’s love for me. That was a pivotal day in my journey – I’ll never forget it. I got out of bed, wiped my tears and decided that God is the God of all glory and honour and that every day was going to be lived to bring Him glory. It wasn’t easy – it was a long process of learning to turn my mind toward Christ instead of those heavy emotions, but every day it got a little easier.
Life can be overwhelming and stress and anxiety can come sweeping in within seconds. This could be something you struggle with for the rest of your life but the good news is, we have hope and assurance knowing that Christ is for us and cares for us. May we always be grounded in the word of God, remembering what Jesus did for us that day on Calvary. I pray we would always put our trust in Him and fully rely on Him in our moments of crippling stress and anxiety. May God give you strength and wisdom every day and remind you of who He is and who you are in Him. Amen!
Brooke Nicholls is a worship leader and songwriter from Toronto, Canada.