If you have watched the news lately, checked the stock market, or scrolled social media, you know there is a lot to process. Whatever changes are weighing on you most heavily or whatever outcomes you may be hoping for, it’s clear that we are collectively experiencing feelings of instability and uncertainty worldwide.
Understandably, this leads many of us to feel heavy, worried, or anxious—maybe not about everything, but probably about something.
In confusing and disquieting circumstances, trying to offer comfort, we are often reminded of the familiar verse found in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on [God] for he cares for you” (NIV).
While I appreciate the encouragement, I haven’t always found this response particularly helpful. Sometimes it feels like it’s just blowing off or dismissing the weight I’m struggling under. I’m not saying that anyone means it that way, but that is still how I can hear it.
Call me unspiritual, but I avoided sitting with 1 Peter 5:7 for a long time. To me, when I felt “under it,” the verse tritely offered, “Just let it go… Just don’t care. Just give it to God and you’ll feel fine.”
Except I didn’t know how to do that, and I didn’t feel any better.
(Spoiler alert: That’s not at all what the verse is saying, so please keep reading! 😉 )
Don’t you find it frustrating when the so-called solution for a problem is some form of “just don’t”? … Just don’t worry. Just don’t be anxious. Just don’t be afraid. Just don’t get angry. Just don’t eat so much (*she types, and eats another BBQ chip).
To this incredible helpfulness we say, Um…thanks for that.
1 Peter 5:7 is not actually tritely telling us to ‘just don’t’ worry. Why, then, can we hear this (and many other Scriptures) in this way?
I have a theory …
It’s easy to read the Bible looking for instructions and to miss what is most important: God’s heart.
This was my habit for decades, and maybe it has been yours as well: We’re often quick to seek out and name the how-to’s, ought-to’s, and shoulds in Scripture, believing that’s what we most need to relieve the weight of life we carry. What am I supposed to do? How should I be, live, think or act better?
At the same time, we are (very) slow to notice the heart of God for us—to hear His assurance of His presence, love, delight, activity, provision, patience, or lovingkindness, to name only a few.
What our hearts need most is the assurance of God’s great, active, and loving presence, not ‘better’ instructions or greater willpower to “just don’t.”
God’s deep desire is that we hear and experience His enormous love for us and to allow it to really sink deeply into our souls. Then, we can understand and embrace the ‘instructions’ as an invitation to live more deeply connected to His peace in the middle of difficulty.
Let’s return to 1 Peter 5:7 as an example, because we truly need its encouragement these days: “Cast all your anxiety on [God] for he cares for you” (NIV).
What if we simply reverse the order of the phrases? “Because God cares for you, cast all your anxiety on him.” Hmm … now I’m starting to listen differently.
The modern use of the word “care” makes it feel kind but also shallow, almost like flashing Taylor Swift heart hands in the middle of real difficulty (no hate to the Swifties). This definition is inadequate, stripping the reality of God’s care of its true weight and power.
Indeed, the word care in 1 Peter 5:7 (referring to God’s care for you) is far more than a warm feeling. It communicates that He is intensely attentive to you, interested and invested in you, aware of your life and all that concerns you, active, able and powerful. It is the tender but mighty care of the God who created and sustains everything.
The Amplified Bible puts it this way: “For He cares about you with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully.”
It is to this deeply invested, interested, and attentive God that Peter invites us to commit (cast) our cares.
When we hear the heart of God, we understand that we’re being invited to relax into His great care for us. It is the assurance of the presence and power of God’s deep affection and love that enables us to release our cares to Him. We use our will to yield to His care, not to “just don’t” worry.
That’s good news to my heart.
When we feel the weight of our cares again (which we will, because we’re human beings living in a world in which there is real difficulty), there’s no need to feel shame or guilt. Instead, we turn our attention back to the affectionate, powerful care of God to be reassured of His active presence and love in our lives. We may find ourselves needing to return to His reassurance fifty times a day but, take heart—it is His great joy to love you and care for you.
Listening for God today:
- What questions or situations am I holding that feel heavy today?
- How does it feel to realize that God’s care for me in this area is deeply affectionate and active?
- How will I turn my attention to God’s care for me again and again?
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