Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Give Anxiety to God with Guest Host Rachel Tiemeyer | 1 Peter 5:7

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. And I'm Keith Simon. Well, 10-minute Bible Talks is having its first guest host. It is Rachel T. Meyer. Rachel has been a good friend of ours for a long time. She's been part of the crossing since it started in 2000 and is super talented person. She and her friend Polly blog at thrivinghomeblog.com. You should for sure check. it out. But for now, here is Rachel addressing a very important topic and one that everybody struggles with, and that is anxiety. 3.30 a.m. glowed on the alarm clock by my bedside table. I shifted positions and let out a sigh. One quick glance over at my husband, sleeping peacefully, of course, next to me, reminded me of how alone I was in the dark with my thoughts.

Starting point is 00:00:58 And then the stream of irrational worrying began. Maybe you can relate. You know, every so often I up and begin worrying about one thing, and then another, and then another. It's sort of this like middle-of-the-night snowball effect, as I call it. After 30 minutes or so of giving in to my barrage of incoherent worries, thankfully, God recalled to my mind a simple children's lesson I had taught several years ago to third-grade girls at a local ministry in town called Granny's House. The lesson was about worry. The kids and I that day were discussing the verse 1-Peter 5-7.

Starting point is 00:01:32 You've probably heard it before. It's just a short command followed by a short promise. Here's what Peter writes. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Have you ever stopped to think about what it means to cast something onto someone else? It's kind of this unfamiliar use of that word, but the word cast means to throw. So what this verse literally means is God wants you and me to throw our worries onto him. And why would we throw our worries onto him? Well, First Peter reminds us that it's simply because

Starting point is 00:02:07 he cares for us. But you know what, let's back up a moment. Let's make sure we're understanding the context of this often quoted verse. If we back up just a little more to verse six, we read, humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. And then we read verse 7, cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. All right, are you ready for an eighth grade English class flashback? Here we go. The word cast in verse 7 is a participle that modifies the verbal phrase humble yourselves in verse 6. Now you're probably asking the same question I am. Why is that important? Well, it is important. It's important because a careful read of these two verses together actually shows us that casting our anxiety on God is a way to humble

Starting point is 00:02:58 ourselves before him. Or another way to put it, worry is actually a form of pride. I mean, think about this for a minute. When we hang on tightly to our worries, rolling them around again and again in our minds, trying to work them out by ourselves, taking all of those concerns on ourselves, we are doing the opposite of what God calls us to. Our verses in 1-Peter tell us to entrust our anxiety to our mighty God, our Father who cares for us. That means acknowledging, I can't do this on my own. I can't solve these problems on my own. I can't carry this load myself. Lord, you have to take them. Saying this is an act of humility. And you know what? This passage gives us good news. I love this. It says that those who humble themselves or those who cast their anxieties on him, remember those are one and

Starting point is 00:03:52 the same, they'll be lifted up, or as the ESV version says, exalted in due time. We are promised a future hope that's worth the wait. We are promised a future hope that's worth trusting the Lord for. Okay, let's back up a minute. Let's think about our propensity to carry around our worries and anxiety some more. Imagine with me for a minute that they are like a heavy backpack on our back, physically weighing us down, maybe at 3.30 a.m. or maybe throughout the day. I mean, worry and anxiety are exhausting, aren't they? Back to the children's lesson I taught to those third-grade girls. To illustrate this idea of casting our worries onto Jesus, I put on a big backpack full of heavy bricks in it. All right, you got to hang with me here for a minute because this might get a little camping.

Starting point is 00:04:43 be are a little cheesy, but as I walked across the room, I stumbled and fell to my knees. I told the girls, I can't carry all the heavy burdens in this pack on my back. I have to give them to Jesus, and the Bible tells us how. At that point, I shared with them Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7, which you're probably familiar with too. Here's what it says. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now as I remember it, their eyes were glued to me, quite possibly because I look so ridiculous, but you know, let's imagine it was because my teaching was really touching their hearts.

Starting point is 00:05:33 I continued on. So girls, that means when we worry, God wants us us. to go to him first and trust him to take care of us. And in return, he promises to give us his great peace. Then one by one, I took out those heavy bricks that I had actually labeled with different worries that those kids might face. Some of their worries are things you and I may never have to deal with. A mom or dad in jail? Will we have enough food? Can we afford new shoes for school? Nearby was a big basket with the labeled Jesus on it, which was filled with pieces of paper that said peace of God. With each new worry or brick that I pulled out, I prayed aloud and I told God about that specific worry. I thanked him for who he is and how he helps me, and I asked God to

Starting point is 00:06:21 help me trust him with that worry. Then I cast, or as we now know, I threw the heavy brick into the basket, if you can imagine that, and exchanged it for a slip of paper that said peace of God. So by the end of the lesson, my backpack was filled with the peace of God and my load was light. You know, despite its simplicity, the Lord has used that concrete children's lesson several times to remind me how to deal with my own worry. And let's be honest, he's probably used it far more in my life than in those girls' lives. But I'm wondering today, what worries are weighing you down right now? Is it a relationship, your health, finances, work, or school?

Starting point is 00:07:03 If you're a parent, is it a child? Or maybe like me, just your crazy, busy schedule? When the worries and anxieties in your life begin to overtake your thoughts, how can you do what God commands us in First Peter? What worries do you need to throw onto the God who intimately knows and cares for you? You can humble yourself before the Lord by unloading your worries on him right now. You can tell him all about what's making you anxious and ask for his help. spend time thanking him for the ways he cares for you and boldly ask him to give you the peace of God

Starting point is 00:07:39 that transcends all understanding. Amen. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Give Anxiety to God with Guest Host Rachel Tiemeyer | 1 Peter 5:7

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