“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7
Every once in a while, I go fishing. I don’t catch a lot, but I keep trying. At first, I am excited. I put the bait on my line and cast it as hard as I can to get it far out into the water. Then I wait… and wait… until finally, I reel the line back in, just in case there is a fish on the hook that I didn’t feel. Never is, so I check the bait and recast. Out goes the line, and the baited hook drops into the lake once more. A little bit later, I reel it back in. No fish. The cycle continues. Cast it out, reel it in. Cast it out, reel it in.
Kind of reminds me of what I do with spiritual burdens. The Bible tells me to cast my cares upon the Lord. I do that quite easily. The challenges of life often bring me to my knees, and I readily cast all my concerns and worries to Him, but just like when I’m fishing, I reel those problems right back to me, shoulder them, and head off into my daily activities with this massive burden on my back. It makes it difficult to do anything else because I am so weighed down with those same cares and woes I had previously brought to God!
The dictionary defines the word “cast” as “to throw something forcefully in a specified direction.” Notice the definition never refers to retrieving what is thrown. That which is cast is to go in one direction, and that’s it. See my problem? I take my burdens to the cross, but often before I leave, I pick them right back up again and then go on to the rest of my day.
I need to cast my cares upon the Lord, period. Give them to Him. I know He can handle them all much better than I can. He’s proven that again and again in Scripture. Truly casting my cares upon Him is an act of faith on my part. When I take my burdens back, I am demonstrating a lack of belief that God will handle them, and I am doubting His Word. I need to not be a “double minded man” (James 1:8), but instead I need to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6) to protect myself against the attacks of the enemy and fortify myself with prayer and the Word of God.
When worries creep into my mind, I need to pray immediately, casting ALL my cares upon Him, then run to the Word of God as quickly as I can and read it for assurance that God’s got it covered. Jesus told us “…with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). There is nothing God cannot handle. I must allow His truth to replace the lies that threaten to overwhelm me. In that way, I can “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?
Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?
Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
(from “Does Jesus Care?” by Frank E. Graeff)
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
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Got worries? Give them to God! Time to be “care-free” in Jesus!