Morning By Morning #147

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you.

Psalm 55:22

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Care, even when shown to legitimate objects, has the nature of sin in it if carried to excess. The moral precept to avoid excessive anxiety and care was earnestly and persistently taught by our Savior again and again and was reiterated by the apostles. It is a teaching that cannot be neglected without becoming sin, for the very essence of anxious care reveals the idea that we think we are wiser than God and are putting ourselves in His place to do for Him what He has promised to do for us. We try to think of those things we believe He will forget and work to take upon ourselves all our burdens, as though He were unable or unwilling to take them for us.

This obvious disobedience to His clear directive, this unbelief of His Word, and this presumptive intrusion upon His providence is all sinful. Even more than that, anxious care often leads to sinful actions. Someone who cannot calmly leave his cares and concerns in God’s hands, but carries his own burdens, is likely to be tempted to pursue sinful means to help himself. This sin will lead to forsaking God as his counselor and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is attempting to drink from “the pitcher [that] is shattered,” instead of drinking from “the spring” (Eccl. 12:6)—the sin charged to Israel of old.

Anxiety causes us to doubt God’s loving-kindness, which then leads our love for Him to grow cold. Our feelings of mistrust then grieve the Spirit of God so that our prayers are hindered, the consistency of our testimony tainted, and our life self-seeking. This lack of confidence in God leads us to wander far from Him. Yet if through simple faith in His promise we will cast each burden upon Him as it comes to us and will “not be anxious about anything” (Phil. 4:6) because He has promised to care for us, we will stay close to Him and will be greatly strengthened to withstand temptation.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isa. 26:3).

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

The world today is often over-stressed and filled with anxiety, and unfortunately God’s people are not immune. Living like this, however, is something our Lord never intended for us, and is, in fact, something He gave His life to prevent. Thus, living in the world’s continual whirlwind of stress, fear, worry, and anxiety is sin and shows a total lack of God’s peace in our lives.

Jesus died, not just to give us life in heaven but also to provide abundant life today. He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27).

No, Jesus does not give peace “as the world gives.” And how does the world give peace? To this day, people in Israel use the greeting “Shalom!”—meaning peace. So Jesus said, in essence, “Unlike the world, which simply wishes you peace, I give you true inner peace. So,’do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’” (John 14:27).

Lord, thank You for Jesus, who was sent “to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:79).