Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7

Anxiety

Our anxiety may be connected to the good gifts God has given us except when its not. Then our anxiety, our sense of unease, in the world and in ourselves may be  connected directly with futile attempts at covering up our sin. Most often though our anxiety has to do with fear that we might lose something God has give us, that we might not perform well, that someone else is going to take from us what we value, or that we might not measure up. At those points the good things are becoming ultimate things.
Opportunity and Humility

Whatever its source, anxiety creates an opportunity for the disciples of Jesus. Anxiety is a call for humility. Humility recognizes the greatness of God for He exists without requirement of our acknowledgment. Humility seeks to enlarge rather than diminish the knowledge of His Presence among us. Anxiety diminishes the reality of God and His care for us. Anxiety taps into pride and seeks to enlarge our own greatness.

Without a Christ-informed view of God shaped by the Cross, even the knowledge of God’s greatness can create anxiety. But it is the Cross that affirms this confession, “He cares for you.” Humility enters into the space created by His mighty hand.

Prayer

Casting anxiety upon Jesus is a prayerful process in which we lay our burdens (each item or matter of anxiety) down upon HIm. We recognize Jesus as our greatest gift. We realign our lives with the purposes of God for they are all that will prevail in a broken and fallen world. We lay claim to the promise of His competence, His acceptance, and His grace towards us. We trust Him and receive His peace. We are then empowered by His Spirit, with the assurance of our citizenship in His Kingdom, to lean into this world as it is and love.