It matters to Him

As the semester is winding down, I’ve realized that I’ve become this ferocious whirlwind of activity, and not in a particularly productive way. There’s just so much to do. Finish that Spanish assignment. Pay my roommate for the water bill. Get to work on time. Go take my Health test. Wait, did I remember to pay my roommate for the water bill? Oops, overslept and missed my Health test.

I know I’m not the only one. I mean, after all, ’tis the season for finals and last-minute packing, right? When I came in as a freshman, I always assumed that as college went on I would finally get the hang of things. I assumed that eventually I would work out a system where I could avoid being in a panic at least the majority of the time. But, recently, I’ve realized that absolutely nothing I can do can makes me less stressed about the four thousand little things I have to do a day. As someone who very much likes to be in control, I have to admit, life isn’t even remotely in my control.

Of course, it’s easy to convince myself that it is and believe me I try, which, a lot of times, can make things even more stressful. Fortunately, yesterday as I was scrambling to make it to my Health test (you thought it was hypothetical, didn’t you?) my “Verse of the Day” popped up on my phone:

Casting all your anxiety on Him because it matters to Him concerning you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Growing up a Christian, I’ve heard this verse a lot. Probably anyone who has ever opened a Bible on occasion or gone to a bible study has heard this verse. (Seriously, if you type that verse reference into Etsy, there’s 107 options for cards and necklaces and notebooks with the verse on them.) But, after rereading the verse, for the first time I saw the part at the end. I’ve always known that I can cast all my troubles on the Lord. But how often do I really consider that “it matters to Him concerning me?”

I’ve realized that sometimes I have this tendency to put God somewhere “up there” dealing with “God things” that are so far away from my life. Surely saving people and building up His church and dealing with the big issues of righteousness and unrighteousness (and not to mention Satan) has a higher priority on His to-do list than things like a Spanish worksheet. But that’s not what 1 Peter tells us—we need to cast all our anxieties because our lives and all the trivial things in them matter to Him.

God has many names in the Bible, but my favorite has always been “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) because, though we live in a very tumultuous world full of things that promote anything but peace, God can be our Prince of Peace. These next few weeks in the midst of all-nighters and flight delays and a seemingly endless stretch of tests, we can find peace in Him.