A gift I received when I graduated high-school was a small book titled “God’s Promises for Graduates”. The book was a collection of bible verses that held God’s promises made throughout scripture. The book was designed so each page would have bible verses related to a certain topic. That book has received so much use over the years, the sewn in bookmark fell out years ago and the binding is coming loose. The pages most worn are the pages titled “When I am feeling stressed…” The verses & promises on those pages have become a refrain for me in my life as an anxious individual. It was through this book that I found my favorite Bible verses - 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.” 

This verse is a beautiful promise that God LOVES us and desires to hear from us. He wants to take away your worry and anxiousness and replace it with trust in Him and Him alone. However, recently this verse spoke to me in a new way. Because I found these verses through that pocket book devotional, I hadn’t read that verse in the context of the chapter it was written in until just recently. And while the verse is powerful on it’s own, it speaks even more power when read in context of the verses around it.   

“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. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” -1 Peter 5:6-9

In this context, the verse holds so much more power. 3 more things jumped out to me after reading this verse in context. 

1. You do not need to be anxious because everything will happen in God’s timing. Verse 6 reads, “Humble yourselves, therefore under God’s mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time.” You need to let go of your timelines and trust that God’s plans are perfect. Be humble enough to recognize that God’s plans and timing are greater than your own. 

    

2. Stay Alert. Verse 8 begins with “Stay alert and of sober mind”. While Verse 7 commands us to cast all our anxiety on Christ, verse 8 reminds us that this does not mean sit back, relax, and everything will work out. No, we are called to stay vigilant in righteousness as our enemy, the devil, is on the prowl - hunting us - waiting for our sinful human nature to devour us if we are not careful.

    

3. We are not alone in our challenges. Verse 9 reminds us that we belong to a family of believers who are also experiencing sufferings. God is ready and longing to take on not only your worries and anxiousness, but that of all believers in their struggles. 

While 1 Peter 5:7 is a powerful reminder in itself, the verse provides even more wisdom in the context of the verses around it. I hope that this example can serve as a reminder to you of reading scripture in context to garner all the wisdom it holds. 

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

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