In our sermon this past week, we looked at the hope that is
present in this time when the world seems swallowed up in fear.
1 Peter 1:3 tells us that God “…has caused us to be born
again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” If the Corona virus has done anything, it has
shown us that the hopes of this world are lifeless; a dead end. How quickly they crumble when weight is placed
on them! But the one who has borne a
great weight—the weight of all our sin and shame upon himself—is more than
capable to hold us up in this time of uncertainty. When the hopes of the world die all around us,
the one who conquered sin and death lives!
Jesus Christ is our living hope, our confidence in times of uncertainty.
It is appropriate then, that Peter commands us in chapter
five to cast our cares on God.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so
that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting
all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.—1 Peter 5:6-7.
In the verse
before this Peter writes, “…Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another,
for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5b). Humility is the avenue towards experiencing
God’s grace. But in what way is humility
tied to casting our anxieties before our Lord?
Commenting on these verses my ESV study Bible draws out an important
truth about worry.
Worry is rooted
in pride. It is self focused.
It is easy to
look at all the change, all the uncertainty, all the danger, and all the
confusion swirling about us and ask, “How will I ever cope? How can I handle this?” The truth is, you can’t and you aren’t meant
to. The Christian life is one of
surrender. We cast our anxieties to the
Lord, leaving them in his capable hands, because we know he cares for us.
I heard someone
sharing on the radio; it may have been Focus on the Family, or perhaps Family
Life Today, I can’t remember, but he was talking about all the things that run through
his head as he lays down at night. Tasks
that need to be done, questions that need answers, concerns about the day
ahead. Perhaps some of you can relate. Your brain goes into overdrive the moment it
hits the pillow. He shared how he felt
God speaking to him one night. “You get
some sleep. I’ll stay up. I’ll watch over this stuff.”
When I find my
brain running anxious mental marathons as my head hits the pillow, I’ve began
practicing telling God that I’m going to go to sleep, because I trust him to
watch over all of my anxieties. I know
he cares for me.
Why lose sleep
when the Creator of the Cosmo watches over us?
Cast your cares to Christ, because he cares for you.
—Tyler
