Anxiety Part 1: Tense Desire By Karen Baney

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Are you stressed?  Anxious?  Tense?  Fearful?  In 1 Peter, we’re told to cast those feelings on Jesus.  Over the next two Saturdays, let’s dig a little deeper into this verse and the word anxiety.

Dictionary.com gives this as one definition for anxiety:  earnest but tense desire.

See anxiety isn’t always coupled with fear.  Sometimes it is tenseness over too many things coming your way.  You feel like you can’t take one more thing—not because everything is bad, but because it’s just too much.  You may earnestly desire that promotion at work or the news that you’re finally going to have a baby.

These are good things, but when we’re tense even about the good things, it can draw our attention away from God.  We begin trying control the situation to get the outcome we want.  This is what harms us.  We are trying to take control from God—the creator of the universe, all powerful, all knowing God.

Instead, he tells us to “cast all your anxiety on him.”  Sometimes I think this is hard for us to picture.  We generally don’t see casting (throwing things) as a good thing.  I like the word “chuck” better.  Think of a time when you were really angry.  Maybe you chucked the TV remote across the room, or perhaps you just thought about doing it.

Well, maybe it’s time you chucked your anxiety on God—becoming so fed up with the earnest and tense desire.  Throw it on him.  Chuck it on him.  That’s what casting is.  It’s not a pray begging God to take this thing from us.  Instead, it’s active.  “Here.  Take it.  I’m done with it.  I’m tossing it at your feet.”

Why can we actively chuck our anxiety on God?  1 Peter 5:7 gives us the answer to that question as well.  He cares for us.  He will glad take all of the anxiety we hurl his way and absorb it into himself, whether it’s the earnest and tense desire type of anxiety that we discussed today, or it’s the distress caused by fear or danger that we’ll discuss next wee,.

So, get ready.  Wind up your pitching arm.  On the count of three, cast your anxiety on Him.  One.  Two.  Three.

Yep.  He caught it, even if your aim was a little off, because he cares so much about you and for you.

Karen Baney writes Christian historical and contemporary romance novels.  When she’s not busy writing, she enjoys traveling the state of Arizona with her husband, exploring museums and the picturesque landscapes the state has to offer.  Her faith plays an important role both in her life and in her writing.  Karen and her husband make their home in Gilbert, Arizona, with their two dogs.

You can pick up a copy of Karen’s book, A Heart Renewed (Prescott Pioneers #2), on Amazon for your Kindle.  This amazing story of forgiveness and healing takes readers on a journey filled with pain, hope, and love.

Visit Karen at her website:  http://www.karenbaney.com or on Facebook or Twitter.  Visit her special blog for authors at http://www.everythingauthor.com.