READ: PSALM 55:22; MATTHEW 11:28-30; 1 PETER 5:6-9

It’s natural to worry. We humans just do it, pure and simple. And the Lord, knowing how distracting chronic worry can be, lovingly offers His children a remedy because He wants to set us free from the cares that clutter up our minds and petrify our hearts.

In 1 Peter 5:6-9, we see how Jesus provides that remedy. We read in verse 7 that we can cast our “cares on him.”

Maybe you’ve tried this already! But sometimes, after casting our cares upon His loving Self, we take them back again, and get back to our job of fretting. We can get into a repetitive cycle that doesn’t help at all: give it to God, take it back, give it to God, take it back. Has this ever happened to you? It can be exhausting.

But we find an answer to this dilemma by taking a deeper dive into the original language of 1 Peter 5:6-9. The ancient Greek word for “casting” is in the aorist tense (meaning a “one-time event, back in the past” verb tense). So, it might be helpful to think of Peter saying: “since you have already cast your cares upon Him, live that way.”

Past tense—one and done! We recall that we are not the ones in charge, because we gave our lives and everything concerning us to our great and loving Shepherd, Jesus.

This is why, before Peter talks about worry, he says, “Humble yourselves” (verse 6). We humble ourselves under God’s authority and governance. We recall that, because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we are His, not our own. We were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). And, when we became His, we gave up worrying over what is happening to us now, or what will happen to us next. We don’t need to.

Why? Because He has it. He has you. Peter goes on to tell us that “he cares about you” (verse 7). Indeed, He does! He is with you always, no matter what worries and cares you have. And He promises to return someday to put an end to everything that is worrisome.

If you’ve given your life to Jesus, you have accepted His Lordship over your life. So, you can rejoice that He has you—worries and all—today, and tomorrow, and forever. • Kristen Merrill

• Can you remember a time when you shared your worries with Jesus? What was it like?

• When you feel overwhelmed with worry, who is somebody that can help you and remind you of Jesus’s peace and loving care, such as a parent, pastor, counselor, youth leader, or friend?

…casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (CSB)