“If you (Jesus) care, then you’d do something. Peter and the disciples struggle to believe that God cares because they do what we often do – measuring God’s concern for us by how hard it’s raining.”- Kyle Idleman
“Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’ “- Mark 4:38 (NLT)
As Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 4 of Don’t Give Up, he observes that when Peter uses the word cast (1 Peter 5:7), he’s not using the word in the context of his profession. Instead, in this passage the word cast translates as “transfer” or, even more literally, “transfer the weight.”
Thus, Peter instructs us to do more than simply release our burdens. Rather, he exhorts us to transfer our anxiety to God. Let God carry the weight holding you back and keeping you down.
So, Pastor Idleman asks, what weight that you’re holding on to do you need to transfer over to God? Because taking inventory of anxiety times tends to make people anxious, Kyle offers three broad categories:
- The unknown. When your head spins with possibilities, you wish Jesus would show up and just give you the answer. Furthermore, many anxieties fall under the heading of tomorrow. And that’s where it’s likely that you’ll lose yourself in the dizziness of possibilities. As a result, Jesus tells you not to go there – to cast your anxiety on Him. Since tomorrow’s worries will keep, stay put in the moment. This really decreases your worry inventory.
- The unlikely. Think about all the fake news polluting today’s media. But if you believe the fake news, your anxiety is real enough.
- The uncontrollable. As Kyle notes, most of our anxiety results from people or situations out of our control. Dr. Edward Hallowell, a stress expert, offers this equation for anxiety: “A heightened sense of vulnerability and a diminished sense of power.”
Today’s question: What leads you astray in measuring God’s concern for you? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The kingdom of pharmaceutical relief”
