Cast Your Cares Because He Cares
“…casting all your
anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
-1 Peter 5:7
God is
bigger, and God is greater. He is powerful to protect and keep, and he is able
to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine. He reaches places I can’t
reach, and he sees what I can’t see, behind doors and into hearts and minds. He
loves farther and he grieves deeper than I do. He stays awake and keeps being
God when my restless self falls asleep.
These truths
are my comfort when the weight of this world lands heavily on me, whether it’s
the burden of my own anxieties or the cares of those I love. Sometimes the
storm rages within me and sometimes it rages around me, and sometimes it’s
both. I’m impacted and the heaviness settles…in my heart and on my shoulders.
As I lie in
bed, my thoughts drift and I feel depleted, empty. Too tired to be articulate
or pray anything lengthy, I begin to cast my cares on Jesus, one at a time,
simply and specifically.
I imagine a vast expanse of water in front of me, without limits and
without end. It is infinite and infinitely beautiful, not in a trite or
contrived way, but truly full and full of beauty, the pure kind.
I
stand on the edge, looking out and looking in, and I can only see so far but it
goes farther. It stretches farther and deeper and broader and wider, vast and
uncontained. Unfathomable.
My
heart is heavy with anxieties that take the form of stones. These stones slow
the blood flow to my veins. They impact my clarity of thought. Even my feet are
slow, dragging because of the extra pounds.
In
that place, leaning and looking, I hear a voice call to me, call to you, call
to anyone who comes to the edge of that sea of mercy. It invites the sojourner to cast his stones of anxiety, his cares, into the depths
of that clean, uncontaminated water and watch them sink below the surface.
Slowly,
with great effort, I dig under my skin where it's uncomfortable and hurts, and
I pull out the first stone. It takes some effort, a twist and a tug of faith,
but it dislodges. Raising my arm, I answer that voice, strengthened by its
song, and toss my first stone into the sea.
Then
I cast another, and a third, and soon I start skipping my stones across the
water creating ripples that spread in wide circles as the stones sink beneath
the surface. I cast each person, each situation, the known and the unknown, the
past and the future, the stones from within and the ones from without, the ones
I’ve absorbed and the ones I’ve created—on him.
My
heart is lighter and my mind is clearer and all of a sudden, without the extra
weight, I lift my feet and I realize that I could jump if I wanted to. I have cast my
cares into the sea of mercy, the waters of God's unfathomable and infinite care
for me. I cast my cares because he cares, because these people and situations
matter to him, because I matter to him, because he cares for all of us.
His
yoke is easy and his burden is light, and I wasn’t meant to carry these cares.
I give them to him, one and all. They are his to hold, and I can trust him to
keep them and to keep working for the good of those he loves
while I drift into sleep.
What
cares weigh you down? What is God inviting you to cast on him? Is it a
parenting challenge? A health issue? A personal trial? Your child’s struggle? A
challenge of someone else you love and care about? Are you burdened by the
past, present or future? The impact of choices and decisions?
Whether
your cares feel big or small, whether you carry few or many, listen to the
invitation. Casting all your anxieties on him.
God
invites all of us to come and cast our anxieties on him. We don’t have to
hesitate, second-guess, or wonder what he really thinks.
Listen
to the reason. Because he cares for you.
He. Who? God.
He
does what? He cares.
For
whom? He cares for you.
You
are precious to God. The God of the universe who made and sustains all life on
this planet loves and cares for you. Whoever you are, you matter to him, and so
do your cares and concerns.
I
might not know you or your struggle, but I know my own trials and temptations
and how desperate I am for wisdom, guidance, help, intervention, grace,
mercy, peace and hope. In those times when I’m keenly aware of my limitations
and need for help, this invitation to cast my cares because he cares is especially sweet.
I
encourage you to insert your people and situations into the words of the
following verses and pray them for yourself and your loved ones. Cast each care
into the sea of God’s mercy. May the comfort of God’s loving and
personal care for you sustain and strengthen you for whatever trial
you encounter.
Cast
your cares because he cares.
Verses
to read and pray:
“…do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
“Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
For more information about Katie's book, Loving My Children, click here.