Listen to Devotion

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. . . And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

“Who cares?” Maybe we’ve said that when something seemed insignificant. At times, we might truly ask that when we are struggling, and it seems like no one cares. Who sincerely cares?

God does. He sees, and he cares. While we wait for Jesus to come and take us to glory, Peter reminds us that he cares. He writes, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” There’s a dose of humility that comes with suffering. In humility, I need to see that I’m not exempt from hardship and suffering any more than Jesus was. But neither am I exempt from the glory and life my Savior won for me. In the meantime, he cares!

Peter encourages us to cast our anxiety off on Jesus. But sometimes, we tend to brush off instead of casting off. Brushing off means I don’t want to deal with it. I don’t have the capacity to address this problem, so I’ll ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist. Sometimes, we brush off the troubles of others and minimize whatever it is that’s making them anxious. Jesus doesn’t brush you off, and he doesn’t brush off whatever is causing you anxiety like it’s nothing. He says, “Give it to me!” That’s how much he cares.

The same living and loving God who said about your sins, “Give them to me!” and carried them to a cross, also says about your fears, your worries, your anxieties, your sorrows, “Give them to me!” Why? Because he cares. For you! He lifts the burdens you can’t carry and sustains you through this life even when you suffer. And as surely as he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, he lives, and he is coming to take you to glory someday. Why? Because he still cares!

Lord, give me the humility to cast all my anxieties on you because you care. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.