Cares of This World
“The cares of this world” are the first enemy Jesus exposes in the trio of thorns. The Greek word for “care” is merimna, from metro, meaning “to divide” and noos, “the mind” (ref 1). The cares of this life work to divide one’s mind making a person unable to concentrate on a single subject of choice. The more cares a person has, the harder the fight to maintain peace of mind. Soon enough the focus on the target, namely God’s Word, is lost in an attempt to perpetually manage the worries that plague us.
Jesus’ teachings on worry help us to maintain a proper perspective on life.
“Therefore I say, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25, 26)
Jesus taught that we are highly esteemed by our Heavenly Father who desires to care for our every need. Our worries express a lack of trust in our Father’s love, power and provision. When we find ourselves abiding in the perfect love of God, trusting in Him, there is no room for fear or worry because worry and trust are diametrically opposed to one another. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)
When we place our trust in God through difficult life circumstances, the Lord will work on our behalf and grant us His peace.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)
The simplest way to place our trust in God over a situation is to give it to Him in prayer.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6,7)
In addition to prayer, we must vigilantly guard our thought life from the negative cycle of worry, anxiety and fear. We do so by taking our thoughts captive to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) and replacing our negative, fearful thoughts with faith-filled affirmations based on God’s truth.
The apostle Paul summarized these steps of prayer, surrendering our thoughts and replacing them with godly ones when he wrote in Philippians 3:6-8
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.
If you’re being plagued by cares, worry or anxiety, take time now to pray this prayer to give your worries over to God, inserting your own personal words where noted.
Lord Jesus, I come before you now, thanking you for the power and privilege of prayer. I also thank you for (tell God some things you are thankful for today). I submit to you every care that is on my mind and in my heart. I specifically cast upon you the following concerns: (tell God the things that are causing you anxiety). I ask that you perfect the things concerning me and give me your peace. Help me Lord, to refocus my attention on your promises to provide for my needs, to give me wisdom, guidance, strength, hope and grace. I receive every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus by faith and declare Jesus to be the Lord over my heart, mind, soul and body. I pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
References
1. (Strong’s #3308)
