“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”
We usually find 1 Peter 5:7 quoted by itself, and often misused as a way to shame people who are struggling with anxiety. Put into its context with the very next verse, I find it to take on an interesting meaning. “Give your worries to God” and “watch out!” seem like opposite messages. I thought I was supposed to let go of my burdens, and yet watching out for a lion about to devour me feels a bit worrisome. This is why sometimes quoting individual verses can make Christians feel as if there is a delicate emotional balance they are supposed to maintain — don’t worry, but watch your back all at the same time.
Taken together, these verses provide more clarity on how we are to live the Christian life. I read the whole passage as an encouragement: “Don’t worry about any of the earthly stuff. God’s got that. You can stand up and fight the enemy along with the whole family of believers!” I connect with a positive voice cheering me on, rather than a sense of warning. Getting caught up in our earthly cares is simply a distraction — the real battle we are called to focus on is a spiritual one.
Here’s your freedom for today: faith gives you victory in the spiritual war. When you see with your faith-filled, spiritual eyes you can see that what car you drive or how many outfits you have does not matter at all. As Paul said, he learned to live with a little and live with a lot. His material standing did not matter in the spiritual life he was living. Faith connects us with Jesus and with a family of believers. Faith brings us into a world that is happening beyond the visible. Take your eyes off the visible today and let your spiritual eyes take over. What do you see?