What are you anxious about today?
I didn’t ask if you have ever felt anxious. If we’re honest with ourselves, this past year revealed anxieties on top of anxieties. We’re all on edge; we’re all anxious. So what are you anxious about today?
For me, half the time I can never pinpoint the cause of my anxiety. It’s just there, swirling questions in my head and making my fingers shake, my legs bounce. It feels like I grabbed a seat on a rollercoaster that stopped right before the first drop and got stuck. My feet dangle in the air. I grip the edges of the seatbelt as I squeeze my eyes shut because I don’t know when or if the ride will continue. I don’t know how long we’ll be stuck.
The twelve disciples felt the same way after they got caught in a “great windstorm” (Mark 4:37, NRSV). All day they followed Jesus while he preached to the crowds. They were probably tired and worn out. Jesus even laid his head down for rest as they traveled to the other side of the sea. But the turbulent waters rose and crashed into the boat; the wind howled. Even the knowledge seven of them shared as fishermen hardly made a difference. They were anxious. They were afraid for their lives because they didn’t know how long the raging storm would last or if it would ever stop. They were stuck.
They remembered Jesus; the rabbi they watched heal the sick and feed thousands. He was the one who told them to get into the boat; he was the one sleeping in the stern. And when they shook him awake, it didn’t sound like they believed he was the one who could calm the storm.
“Teacher!” they called. “Do you not care that we are perishing?”
Look how they didn’t ask if Jesus noticed their anxiety; the storm was pretty obvious. They questioned him on whether he cared enough about them and their anxiety to do anything about it. “Do you not care?” they asked because, from their perspective, it didn’t seem like he did.
If Jesus cared, they wouldn’t be in the storm. If Jesus cared, their anxiety wouldn’t exist. Their situation would change — our situation would change. If Jesus cared, we wouldn’t have to worry about vaccines, social distancing or masks. If Jesus cared, injustices would disappear. No one would suffer another loss or a broken heart … if Jesus cared.
The problem isn’t about wondering if Jesus cares about us, because he does. Otherwise, he, guilty of no sin, would have never sacrificed his life for the sake of our sin. The problem is our tying our anxieties to our circumstances, as the disciples did. They believed they could achieve peace if their situation changed. If the storm ceased, everything would be okay. But the Lord’s peace, true freedom within disturbances, is not tied to where we stand. In John and various other places in Scripture, Jesus tells us that a life following him will not be easy. We will suffer and we will go through storms, but even there we can still find peace. It goes beyond our understanding but it’s real and it’s available for us.
To actually receive it, we need to do what Peter tells the Gentiles to do. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you (1 Pet. 5:6-7, NRSV).”
When we’re anxious, we tend to be self-centered. We become defensively aware of everything around and in us and refuse to seek help. That is why Peter tells us to humble ourselves because he learned his lesson in the boat. He remembered how self-focused he and the disciples acted in response to the storm. He didn’t want the Gentiles to do the same. And to humble ourselves means we cast our anxiety to God. The two verses connect for a reason; in the Greek translation, it’s one sentence, one thought.
But we often misinterpret Peter here, because what does it mean to “cast” our anxiety? It isn’t like the disciples casting their nets into the sea to catch fish. The word is used only one other time in Scripture. The better translation for “cast” from the original meaning is “transfer.” It’s not that our anxieties need to disappear or that we need to let them go. It’s that Jesus tells us to transfer our anxiety to him. Every day, Jesus wants us to experience the freedom of peace. He offers to carry our worry, guilt, shame and anxiety so we can live abundantly (John 10:10).
So, what are you anxious about today? You’re feeling on edge, and that’s okay. Talk to the Lord; pray and ask how you can overcome your anxiety, no matter what it’s about. Because Jesus calmed the storm for the disciples and he can calm the storm raging inside you.
