Cast All Your Care on Him

I received yet another call, a text, saw a post on Facebook, had a conversation with a friend, a relative, and a co-worker that each was hurting; crying out in need. I’m honored when people reach out to me for prayer because I truly want to know and pray for them, however, this week was different.

Why?

A man was dying and we weren’t sure he knew Jesus. A young woman (mom) just got the diagnosis of cancer. A teenage girl we had prayed for healing had died. A co-worker’s 18-year-old cousin shot himself. Another family had a young son who was suicidal. A friend's marriage appeared to be heading towards divorce. I could go on and on….just this week.

For a moment I felt overwhelmed…overwhelmed by the heaviness (burden) of it all. My heart hurt for every single one of them. But I realized it was so much. It was too much. It was more than I could handle mentally and emotionally. And then GOD reminded me that I wasn’t created to carry this. I was to cast my cares on Him.

In 1 Peter 5:7 we read:

“Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you.”

The Apostle Peter is speaking to the church (specifically the elders) in this chapter. He instructs them to:

*Feed the Flock (the people)

*Lead by example

*Let the younger submit to the older

*Be clothed in Humility (rGod resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble)

*Humble (again he reminds them about humility) yourselves under God’s mighty hand

And then he tells them:

“Cast all their care on God, for he cares for you.”

To Cast means:

To Throw with force or violence

To Fling

To Hurl

Consider casting or throwing out a fishing line onto the water. You would fling, or cast it. According to this verse in 1 Peter 5:7 we are to cast, throw, hurl, fling our cares on the Lord. Sounds easy enough, but not so easy to do. Often our first response is to tell someone else, worry, or try and carry the load ourselves. So how do we really cast our cares on him?

We pray we worship, we get out our Bibles and read his word. That day when I got home I was practically in tears and just knelt down in my living room and told the Lord:

“God, all of these hurts, needs, negative reports, I can’t handle them. I’m not sure what to say, or do, or feel.” I was so heavily burdened.

That’s when this verse came so clearly to my mind.

“Cast all your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you.”

(Throw them at Me, Fling them on Me…)

I began one by one to lift up all these cares saying, “ Lord, I can’t fix this, I can’t make the pain of grief and loss go away. I can’t put this marriage back together. My list went on and on. The Lord then spoke so clearly in my mind…

“No, you can’t, but I can! Now give them all to me, and trust me.” I felt so relieved that although the burden was heavy, it was not mine to carry, but God could and would.

Have you read the next verse? The one that follows …”Casting our Cares”…

1 Peter 5:8

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walks about, seeking who he may devour.”

If we don’t cast our cares on the Lord do you think we will be alert and ready when our enemy, the devil comes lurking? Probably not. If we are carrying burdens, heartaches that we were never intended to carry, we will be weak and vulnerable and easy prey for Satan’s attacks.

So today, or tomorrow or next week when the cares, trials, overwhelming problems come your way, may I encourage you to go first, fast, and foremost to God! Fling, hurl, throw, CAST ALL (not some, but ALL) your care on Him. He cares for you and he is equipped to carry them all.

Blessings,

Jamie