Living free of anxiousness, part 3: Casting all our cares on the Lord I. Living free of anxiousness means learning to live by turning things over to the Lord.A. 1 Pt. 5:71. Cares-anxieties; worries of daily life.2. Peter talks about being humble (v. 5-6), meaning, recognizing our need for the Lord.3. Why can we be humble? We have a Father who cares for us lovingly. He provides for our special and daily needs.4. We can give our anxieties to Him because of who He is to us: our Father and we as his sons and daughters.B. 1Pt. 1:231. Peter writes in the context of the Father giving his Son Jesus as the precious Lamb whose blood was poured out for our deliverance from sin. (see vv. 1-19)2. Peter wants us to know with assurance and confidence the commitment of God to our salvation and our lives.3. So (v. 23) we need to plant the word of God in our heart. The Holy Spirit activates the word of God so he can build trust and faith in us.4. Without the planting, there is nothing to activate. With the planting of the word of God, the Holy Spirit stirs in us and births in us faith and trust in the Lord.C. Psalm 91:1-31. Almighty-Shadday-50 times in Old Testament; It is the name revealed to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.2. It means everlasting one; mighty one; one who can’t be conquered; all sufficient one; capable of meeting the needs of his people.3. Refuge (v. 1-2)-shelter; place of trust; a shelter from the heat;See Isa. 25:4.4. Plagues-see Joel.1:4. Disease; locusts;II. How do we apply this?A. Through prayer we come humbly.1. We acknowledge our need of the Lord.2. We recognize He is our Father: committed to our care.3. We see that Jesus is God’s precious Lamb whose very blood sacrifice indicates the depth of God’s commitment to us.4. We are his sons and daughters. Members of His family.5. We give him thanksgiving. Practice giving thanks.6. We ask in prayer for what we have need of. “Give us this day…”B. We plant the word of God in our hearts and minds.1. Take time to meditate on these passages.2. Ask the Holy Spirit to “write” them on your heart.3. Speak them out loud: what we “hear” with this sense goes deeper into us.4. Memorize a passage of Scripture. Recall it through the day. Reflection:1. What are the anxieties “distracting” your life right now?2. How confident are you in the Father’s love for you? How do you know? Where do you go to find out?3. How much time are you spending in the word of God? How much “planting” are you doing?
