1 Peter 5:7 (AMP) Casting the [whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, [once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
As believers, we can offload all our anxieties, worries, and concerns to God and rest in His love because God is bigger, greater, more powerful, has more resources and ideas, and nothing is too complicated for Him—He is limitless. This is why God established a covenant with us. He did it so that man’s problem can become His problem through the covenant obligation between partners. If He has resolved our sin issue as our covenant partner, there is nothing in this life that He cannot help us with! This is why it is essential to understand the covenant and have God as our covenant partner, because we can draw on His resources. God’s love—established through an act of covenant—commits Himself to be with us in both good and bad times!
Why does God repeatedly remind us to pray and cast all our cares upon Him? Because prayer and casting our cares on Him are choices we need to make. We must come before Him to tell Him about our situation and ask for His help. You might ask why we need to share details with the Lord if He is omniscient. Speaking to Him about our problems acts as a release valve for our emotions, helps us deal with our fears, and allows us to receive from the Lord while we are in His presence. Praying in the Spirit also helps to strengthen our inner selves when we are overwhelmed with stress.
Isaiah 49:16 (NKJV) See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
Isn’t it comforting to know that God cares affectionately for you? You matter a lot to Him. Whether He cares for you is not based on what you have done or not done because it is purely the grace of God. We can run to the throne of grace during the “perfect storm” in our lives. In fact, he has invited us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). We have a need when we are worried, stressed out, and lose our peace. We can have an audience with the Creator of heaven and earth. It is in the throne room of God where we pour out and cast all our cares, anxieties, concerns, and worries onto Him.
After we have done so, we should also give thanks to the Lord because we know that He has heard our prayer. It is an act of faith to believe that God has heard our prayer and will deliver us. Praise and worship keep us focused on God rather than on the problem, and it is in His presence that He infuses grace into our hearts to strengthen us.
Sermon Series: Relaxed and Composed
把你一切的忧虑卸给神
彼得前书 5:7（扩展版译意）你们要将一切的忧虑——所有的焦虑、担心、烦恼——都一次性地卸给祂，因为祂顾念你，满有慈爱地眷顾你，并时时看顾你。
作为信徒，我们可以把一切的焦虑、忧虑和烦恼都卸给神，安息在祂的爱中。因为神比我们所面对的一切都更大、更伟大、更有能力，祂拥有无限的资源和智慧，对祂来说，没有任何事情太复杂——祂是无所不能的。这正是神与我们立约的原因。祂立约的目的，就是让人的问题通过约的关系成为祂的问题。既然祂作为我们的约的伙伴，已经解决了罪的问题，那么在今生没有任何事是祂不能帮助我们的！这就是为什么明白“约”的意义、并让神成为我们的约的伙伴是如此重要，因为我们可以从祂的资源中支取。神的爱——藉着立约的行动所确立——使祂承诺无论在顺境或逆境中都与我们同在。
为什么神一再提醒我们要祷告，并把一切忧虑卸给祂呢？因为祷告与卸下忧虑都是我们必须主动作出的选择。我们需要来到祂面前，告诉祂我们的处境，并求祂帮助。你或许会问：既然神是无所不知的，为什么还需要我们向祂陈明细节？那是因为，当我们向祂倾诉时，这个过程本身就像情绪的释放阀，让我们能面对内心的恐惧，也让我们在祂的同在中得以从主那里领受力量。当我们感到压力重重时，用灵祷告也能坚固我们里面的人。
以赛亚书 49:16 看哪，我将你铭刻在我掌上，你的墙垣常在我眼前。
知道神如此亲切地顾念我们，难道不是极大的安慰吗？在祂眼中，你是何等宝贵。祂顾念你的心意，并不是因为你做了什么或没做什么，而是出于祂纯粹的恩典。当我们生命中经历“狂风暴雨”的时刻，我们可以奔向恩典的宝座。事实上，神邀请我们“可以坦然无惧地来到施恩的宝座前，为要得怜恤，蒙恩惠，作随时的帮助”（希伯来书 4:16）。当我们感到焦虑、压力大、失去平安时，正是我们需要恩典的时刻。我们可以亲近那位创造天地的主，在祂的宝座前倾心吐意，把一切的忧虑、焦虑、重担、烦恼都交托给祂。
当我们这样做之后，也要向主献上感谢，因为我们知道祂已经听见了我们的祷告。相信神听见并必拯救，这是信心的行动。赞美与敬拜能使我们的焦点从问题转回到神身上，而就在祂的同在中，祂将恩典注入我们的心，坚固我们的里面。
讲道系列：从容的心，坚定的信