Can We Really Cast All Our Anxiety?
My heart literally feels broken in two. It’s a physical result of emotional strain.
Maybe you know the feeling.
Life happens, and it hurts. So you take deep breaths to try to release it, but no form of meditation or deep breathing exercise seems to release the grip that anxiety holds behind the breast bone. If you could reach deep inside and give the heart a tender massage it might respond and relax, but other than that, it just feels painful.
What do we do in these seasons of struggle?
Do we press on and hope for brighter days?
Do we hold on until we can’t hold any longer?
Do we struggle through thinking like the little engine that could? “I think I can. I think I can.”
My recent season of life has been filled with unexpected, heavy things. Some I’ve shared with you, others I can’t share right now. But there’s one thing I’m learning that is getting me through.
I could give you a verse from the Bible and leave it right here. We could wave and say “peace be with you” and go on our way. But there’s more.
God offers us so much more. His Word is so powerful and so clear when it comes to suffering.
When the Bible says, “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you,” (I Peter 5:7) Peter is giving us the literal formula for success when it comes to suffering.
1. Get dressed in humility
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. I Peter 5:5-6
2. Throw your burdens down like you mean it
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7
3. Be ready for the next attack from the enemy
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. I Peter 5:8
4. Resist the devil and stand firm in your faith even if you are suffering
Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. I Peter 5:9
The result:
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. I Peter 5:10 (ESV)
The hope we gain from this passage is that suffering is for a season.
And the result is always the same – restoration, confirmation, strength, and stability. When we abide in Christ through the storm, we can be sure we will come out stronger for it.
No matter how broken your heart feels or how high the mountain ahead seems, God tells us how to get through.
So go ahead, humble yourself and let go of those heavy, heart-wrenching burdens. They were never meant for you to carry alone. Let Jesus do the heavy lifting and live in the assurance that this suffering will pass.
What kind of suffering is this season bringing you right now?
What kind of suffering has Jesus carried you through? Don’t be silent. Tell someone so they know where to turn in their struggle.
God is carrying me through watching my dad suffer through cancer. It’s so difficult, but so amazing to experience God’s presence in the midst of the storm. God will be glorified in spite of this struggle.
Can we really cast all our anxiety? YES! It’s the only way to breakthrough.
Love & Blessings,
Micah
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This is speaking to my soul right now. Thank you Micah.
Praying God’s peace for you right now, Micah!
Without casting my sufferings on Christ I would not be here. The weight and pain if them would have crushed me to the point of death. I didn’t want to live. But He put scripture in my mind that washed over me instead of the suffering. It didnt get easier right away, but little bit by little bit I felt like I could breath again. Depression triggered by financial hardship, the everyday struggle of an adopted child with an attachment disorder and the loss of our foster children back to an unsafe environment, was so heavy and dark. But there was always God. He walked with me. He didn’t fix my problems or cure my depression, but he drew me in. He was and is my strength and comfort.
Continuing to pray for you Micah!
You have touched my heart deeply. I have been depressed and negative for a very long time. I spent about 14 years lying on the couch, sleeping, only to get up and play about 8 hours of computer games, eat, and go to work. Then, back home for the same. Finally, I had a hip replacement, and God face palmed me right down into the bed and began to work on me. I had four hip surgeries which caused me to rely on God for my every breath. Then, the crippling anxiety came, but God has been with me every step of the way. I just can’t thank him enough.