"Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7 (NRSV)
Prodigal Thoughts: Ah…anxiety. Does anyone else deal with anxiety? Hey! In the back…I see that hand. Yep, me too. I am super introverted. Big social gatherings seem to rattle me pretty badly, but smaller groups or one-on-one is where my anxiety seems to just wash away. Now, our friend Peter was speaking to all of the Jewish folks that had been dispersed around the land back about 400 years or so before Jesus came on the scene. Why? I’m sure he was speaking to them, not to exclude the Gentiles, but to open the eyes/hearts of those who were along the Jewish bloodline to acceptance and growth alongside their Gentile counterparts. I mean, I’m sure their world was rocked when Jesus came around and welcomed the Gentiles (even the Samaritans) in His teachings. How does that help us today? What can we take away from the words of Peter? Well, God truly wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to trust Him with all of your cares and your worries. Notice the word that Peter uses. "CAST" That implies that we sling off our worries, shake them off. That isn’t just a soft, gentle movement. Casting your anxiety, just like casting their fishing nets, would have taken the majority, if not all of their strength. I have learned over the years as I have grown closer to our heavenly Father that He truly wants to trade with us. We give Him our troubles and worries and, in turn, He gives us peace and love with a side of hope. Take that in for a moment… The God of the universe, the one that breathed out the stars, called water to separate from land, and created life from a pile of dirt… HE wants to take on your troubles. WOW!!! Is He big? Of course! But does He want to be in a close, no,..intimate relationship with each and every one of us? Absolutely! All it takes is for you to take a moment and tell Him what you are going through and what feels so overwhelming to you. You don’t have to have a scripted formula of "Thees" and "Thous." Just speak to Him like you would to your most trusted friend. He is listening.
Prayer for today: Father, I cannot praise You and thank You enough for all that You do for us. Thank You for giving each of us the breath in our lungs today and sustaining us. I pray that we would learn to see/feel Your presence and that we would begin having more conversations with You, especially when we feel that life is too much or we are overwhelmed, that we would bring that to You. May we come to know You as deeply as we are able and may we ever long to know You more deeply and fully. I know that You are eager to hear from Your children. I love You, Papa. Amen.
Need prayer? You can reply here or you can send me a facebook message through the Prodigal Thinker page. If this encourages you, feel free to share it. Feel free to reply with feedback as well. I’m always open to discussion.
God’s grace on you…
—
Prodigal Mike ~Mike
Prodigal Thinker Blog
Prodigal Thinker 
Great post, Sorry I haven’t read or replied like usual, but with two new puppies to take care of, my time on WP is limited!
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No worries at all. I’ve not been posting as frequently as I’d like.
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I understand. I have ideas for posts, but no extra time to get them written and out there.
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