Josh Patrick shows from 1 Peter 5:7, how God cares for us. He encourages us to “Let Go” of anxiety as we trust in God’s care.
The following is an excerpt from chapter 4 in Josh Patrick’s book Living Hope. Get this book for 50% off one copy and 60% off two or more for a limited time with coupon code “LIVING” when you purchase on our site here.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” — 1 Pet. 5:7–9
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, they have a sacred symbol, a sprawling, shade-bearing, eighty-year-old American Elm. Tourists drive for miles to see this tree; they pose for pictures and would protect it at all costs. The tree adorns posters and letterheads. Other trees grow larger, fuller, even greener, but none is as cherished as this tree.
The city treasures the tree not because of what it looks like but because of its endurance. You see, the tree survived the Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh parked his death-laden truck only yards away from this tree. His malice killed 168 people, wounded over six hundred more, destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, and buried the tree in rubble.
No one expected the tree to survive. No one gave the tree hope. But then it began to bud sprouts, new life pressing through the marred surface. Green leaves pushed away the soot, and life resurrected from an acre of death. People felt that the tree modeled the resilience the victims desired, so they gave the elm a name: the Survivor Tree.
Followers of Jesus are very much like that tree. During the trials of life, we grow, and we bear fruit—because we’re rooted in the giver of life. We rely on Jesus day by day, and he fills us with living hope. Peter presents three exhortations in this passage to help us bear fruit in trials.
Let Go: Applying 1 Peter 5:7
Verse seven says, “Cast all your anxiety on him.” Cast away your burdens; don’t hold on to them. I wonder what all prevents us from doing that. The command to offload your worries, fears, and anxieties—to let God be God and know that you are not—appears in every section of the Bible.
Anxiety is all the rage these days. We’re all overwhelmed. Anxiety is the word of our day. We’re up at night with worry or stress. We’re over-engaged, overworked, and overstimulated. Some wear stress and chaos like a badge of honor, like somehow the more overwhelmed you are, the more important you are and the more significant your life is, the more impressive you are in the race of life. Every bit of it goes back to pride. Humanity is self-deluded in thinking everything relies and depends upon us.
No one is strong enough. No one is wise enough. No one is healthy enough. No one is spiritual enough or righteous enough or good enough to handle life on their own. You can’t hold on to worry and have peace at the same time. But when we let God have our worries, we receive peace that surpasses our understanding—otherworldly, transcendent peace that only comes from the God of peace.
Why don’t we exchange stress and worry for peace?
Why don’t we take hold of what Jesus has already made available to us? His peace is not the absence of conflict. It’s not the absence of pain. It’s not the absence of struggle.
His peace is the presence of God guiding us.
God cares for us. Because of that we can let go. We can let go with a peaceful and joyful conscience. His care is not a cliche, and it’s not wishful thinking; it’s the truth.
God sees your life. He hears your prayers.
As believers in the God whom Jesus came to perfectly reveal, we don’t have to wonder if he cares. We know he does. The God of the universe, our Creator, is intimately aware of and deeply involved in what we’re walking through.
Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). If you want to see what God is like, look at a shepherd tending sheep. It’s personal. It’s a warm, attentive, engaged glimpse of God watching over us, protecting us, leading us, guiding us, correcting us, transforming us, and redeeming our stories. This truth about how God cares for you should enable you to walk through life not worrying over every bump in the road, but letting go and trusting in the God of living hope.
This is an excerpt from chapter 10 in Josh Patrick’s book Living Hope. Read more when you get this book for 50% off one copy and 60% off two or more for a limited time with coupon code “LIVING” when you purchase on our site here.
