Hand It Over
Worries can feel heavy, but we don't have to carry them alone. A family devotional on 1 Peter 5:7 about giving our worries to God.
This week's verse
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Read together
Hand it over
Have you ever tried carrying a backpack stuffed with too many books? It gets heavier and heavier until your shoulders ache. Worries can feel like that. A test, a friendship that's tricky, a big change at home. They pile up inside us.
The Bible says we can cast our worries on God. To cast means to throw, like casting a fishing line far out into the water. God doesn't want us to carry our worries around all day. He wants us to hand them over to Him, because He cares about us.
Giving our worries to God doesn't mean we'll never feel nervous again. It means we don't have to feel nervous alone. We can tell God exactly what's on our hearts in prayer, and we can tell the people who love us too.
God is bigger than anything that worries you, and He cares about every single thing you care about.
Talk about it
Questions for your family
1
What's something that has been worrying you lately? (It's okay if it seems small.)
2
What does your body feel like when you're worried? What helps you feel calm?
3
Parents: share a worry you gave to God, and how He took care of you.
This week
Keep it going
Pray together
Have each person name one worry out loud, then pray for each other. Thank God that He cares about every one of them.
Worry jar challenge
Write worries on slips of paper and put them in a "Cast it on God" jar as you pray. Memorize 1 Peter 5:7 together by Sunday!
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
