Sleepless Night

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Before major events, for which I am in charge, I don’t sleep much the night before. Whether it’s a weekend youth evangelism conference, mission trips, or some other happening, I generally toss and turn all night running through a mental checklist of all the things that need to be accomplished before it begins.

The anxiety that builds up within me causes me to wonder whether or not the event will be a success or fall flat on its face. I wonder if it will cause people enjoyment or if they will be upset that they even attended. I wonder if I forgot something major that will negatively impact the attendees or something small that will just irritate all of us for the duration. Either way, I get anxious about whether or not I’ve appropriately planned every detail.

If we’re not careful, anxiety can consume us. We live in a world where our minds are constantly saturated and bombarded during our waking hours – often times with worrisome information. It’s no wonder why people appear to be more stressed out than ever.

Yet, the disciple Peter has this to say, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” It sounds simple. We just say, “Here God. Take my anxiety,” and then everything is OK. Except, it doesn’t work that way. Why? Because we refuse to let go. We hand it to Him, but we still hold on to a piece of it. We worry about whether or not He will actually take care of it. We still desire control of some sort – as if we can solve things better than an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God.

So, how do we give it up completely? Well, it takes practice. (I’m still learning this, too) When we confess our anxiety to God and lift it up to Him, we’ve got to stop dwelling on it. Instead, when we catch ourselves worrying about it, we must say a prayer, “Lord I reject this worry. I’ve given it to you, and I trust you.” Does it work? Most of the time. But, it requires discipline and repetition. One-and-done doesn’t work. The enemy will keep bringing it up.

So, today, and every day, cast your anxieties on our Lord. He is faithful and true to help us through whatever may be bringing us down. When the worry returns, push it back up to Him. Let Him know you trust Him. Praise Him in advance for His help.