“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
– 1 Peter 5:7,8
Yesterday, we looked at the Biblical definition of the word anxiety and affirmed the truth that Jesus invites us to give Him our fears and concerns. Today, as we continue our study of what it means to meditate in the Lord’s presence, I want to talk more about the practice of casting our cares. As we established in our last devotion, worry is bad for you — it affects your health, your relationships, your walk with God, and your overall well-being. That said, we shouldn’t sit idly by while stress and fear tear us apart. On the contrary, we should cast them away in a manner that swiftly gets rid of their destructive effects. Imagine if you had a spider on your shoulder; most likely you wouldn’t look at it crawling on you and admire its eight legs, waiting for it to bite. Instead, you’d be like, “AWWW, get off of me” and flick it away. This should also be true of how you treat worry and negative stress in your life. I remember when I was on a missions trip to Panama and we were sleeping in a treehouse; a guy had warned us ahead of time that there was a rat problem there. Not thinking too much of it, I went to sleep and woke up with a rat crawling on me. Even though I was in his space and not lying on the ground like a normal person, I didn’t take too kindly to that rat. Instead of gently removing him, I took him in my hand and chucked him out of the tree house — I cast him away. Why? Because I knew he had the potential to be harmful to my health and because he was really gross! Though it’s an unlikely illustration, this is a great visual of how readily you should get rid of anxiety and fear as they try to invade your space. Friend, what are you worried about today? What’s the weight on your shoulders? I invite you to enter the Lord’s presence through meditation and give it back to Him. In this life, you will inevitably keep taking stuff on, but I encourage you to go into His throne room every day and cast your cares on Him. As you do this, your thinking will become clearer, your health will improve, you will be more productive, and you will have more joy. Jesus wants to carry your burdens for you, so right now, let Him lift the weight from your back and feel the ease of being light and free once again! |
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege of entering your throne room and casting my cares on you. I ask you to lift my burden and set me free from stress and anxiety — I know that you have my back.
Reflection
As you enter the throne room today, which anxieties are you casting on the Lord?
9 Responses
Bobby has delivered the goods yet once again.
I have already experienced casting my fear and stress on the Lord.
It’s great to be reminded of the necessity of doing so.
Keep on reminding us Bobby.
Amen.
Thanks for the feedback Tim! We are thankful for your support. God loves you and so do we!
What gives me the most anxiety is the sad and volatile situation that is occurring in our World right now. Global warming. Hunger.Diseases like AIDS and Measles to name a few. Kidnappings and beheadings of foreigners in countries such as Nigeria. Terror groups such as Isis and Boko Haran.Unemployment.Gun violence in our neighborhoods and schools and places of worship.Illiteracy.And so many other threats.The question is. How can you raise kids in this type of environment? It pains my heart to read in the newspaper about our elected leaders not coming together and finding a solution to end these problems.As always much love and admiration to Pastor Bobby Schuller and his beautiful family. And to the Hour of Power for reaching out to the millions of viewers Around the World with the positive and uplifting messages of God. Much thanks to the Hour of Power choir and Orchestra along with the Voices of Hope Children’s Choir for the glorious music and singing. As always I remain your faithful viewer and Happy and Wholesome Student in Jesus
Christ.He is my guiding light. Much love and prayers to all.
Amen
Thanks again for sharing your heart with us, Donna. Yes, there certainly are many things of concern in this world; it is easy to get bogged down by them. How blessed we are to have a Savior and friend who sees it all and will one day redeem this fallen creation. It’s such a gift to “do life” hand-in-hand with Him. As always, we appreciate you and your heart for this ministry. God loves you and so do we!
Amen.
Please be more sensitive with your metaphors. I get that a half asleep response is not deliberate cruelty, but I feel anxiety about the way rats and mice are treated very poorly in our society. They, while tiny, are as sophisticated as a cat or dog. They are increasingly a popular companion animal. Animal testing is less popular (and not really needed). There is a fast growing anti poison lobby, especially in California. Contraception is now available for rats as a humane control. There are also non lethal companies who use one way doors instead of traps and poison.
Hi Nicole! Thanks for your feedback and we apologize that this analogy was offensive to you. We certainly agree that mice and rats are an important part of God’s creation and that they should be treated humanely. Please know that we didn’t intend any harm or disrespect to nature; I think what Pastor Bobby was describing was a somewhat involuntary response to what happened in his sleep. As always, we appreciate you and your continued support of this ministry. God loves you and so do we!