What anxiety weighs you down?
Give me a minute to respond.
Studying the original languages and context of passages helps me understand the Bible.
Last week, I talked about language study and context, being anxious in the dentist’s chair. “Anxiety” means severe emotional distress which “weighs down” a person according to Proverbs 12. I am supposed to “cast my anxieties” on Jesus, according to 1 Peter 5:7. Now THAT I can do! My prayer life hits 100% when I’m in the dentist’s chair! No lie!
A bit of exegesis (what it means to understand Scripture) has cleared my conscience on this issue. If I didn’t have any anxieties, I wouldn’t be human. But the command, “be anxious for nothing,” has little to do with the dentist’s chair and everything to do with my being divided from what Scripture teaches about our future Hope.
He knows my physical needs, so I “cast my cares” on Him.
Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.
Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.
“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.
Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.
PART ONE from last week!
Thank you for this, Dr Mark. I have been under a shroud of anxiety for over 50 years. I’ve prayed continuously for healing, but this hit me differently, even though I’ve heard it many times. Have I actually “cast my cares” on Him?? I’ll be praying more literally moving forward.