The Mirror of the Word by C.E. White can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Word-Devotions-Reveal-Refine/dp/B0DFZS83C7  To learn more about this author and other works, visit https://cewhitebooks.com/

“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares about you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

—1 Peter 5:7–8

Peter tells us to cast our anxiety on the Lord then immediately says something that may incite anxiety—that a violent enemy seeks to devour us.

But God doesn’t leave us alone in this. “The eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, so that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

We can cast our cares on God because while Satan is seeking someone to devour, the Lord is seeking the righteous in order to give them strong support. He wants to give aid to his children. 

Peter also connects the importance of casting our anxiety on God, because anxiety makes us easier prey. When fear and anxiety steer us, we often:

• react to others and difficulty in harmful ways (Genesis 12:10–20).
• seek to fulfill expectations in our own way when think God is withholding something or not acting on our timeline (Genesis 3:1–7; 1 Samuel 13:10–13).
• refuse to do what God asks instead of being fruitful (Matthew 13:22; Matthew 25:24–30).
• cower before evil instead of standing up to it (Matthew 10:28).

When our hope is placed firmly in the Lord’s care, we’re much better situated to resist the devil.

God is our protection, and as sheep must follow near their shepherd in order not to be devoured, we also must, “Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Satan can’t devour us if we actively resist him and submit to the voice of our Shepherd.

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