God’s Promise and Scripture

God’s Promise: He will care for us and calm our fears.

Scripture: casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Devotional

While I may not be a native Texan (but I got here as fast as I could!), one similarity I share with y’all is an appreciation for country music. Growing up in a small farming town in North Eastern Colorado, it was and is the physical embodiment of Jason Aldean’s “Fly Over States.” Any given day was the same as the last, and tomorrow promised much of the same. Many found comfort in that collective calm and serenity, as generations of families live out their days side by side in blissful peace and quiet.

Like many of us in our youth, I wanted something different and sought to build a family amongst the hustle and bustle of big city life. While I was shaped and molded by the challenges and life lessons growing up teaches all of us, one constant I struggled to come to terms with was the near crippling effects of anxiety and how much it controlled my mental health and everyday decisions. Time, money, and effort were all wasted chasing temporary earthly placebos to eradicate this growing presence to no avail. 

Post COVID, my wife Jessica and I decided to make church a priority and found our way to Onward. For the first time in my life, I became a member, joined a community group, and started reading Scripture. Within a few short months, I attended my first Men’s Bible Study focusing on 1 Peter and memorized 1 Peter 5:7 as a weekly goal: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” As simple and easy as that verse was to recite, the peacefulness God instantly and freely provided eradicated a burden built by three decades of living life without Him and Jesus at the center of it.

As big an impact as this verse had on me, the following brought clarity and insight as to why it was even an issue to begin with in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I had spent so much time and effort chasing worldly success and consumption, I never realized God calls us to rise above those sinful distractions and look to Him for peace of mind through godly living and evangelism. It’s almost as though the afore-mentioned childhood residents of my Small Town USA hometown already knew this and chose to live life accordingly.

As I’ve continued to dive deeper into my relationship with Jesus as well as reading & memorizing Scripture, so many verses have helped to remind me that God is in control and only through Him can we find true purpose. Whether we are stricken with anxiety of the present (Matthew 6:34), uncertainty of where to turn to when our fears overwhelm us (Phillipians 4:6-7), or simply what is the main objective of our life’s mission (1 Peter 1:4), God has already given us the words and tools to resist the enemy and glorify Him. As we gather with our loved ones during this joyful season, let us remember to give our anxieties and fears over to Him and enjoy the ensuing peace that follows (Isaiah 26:3).

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. What anxieties are you keeping hidden and not casting unto God?

2. What worldly actions are keeping you from being alert and sober-minded?

3. What earthly possessions are you valuing more than God’s inheritance?