August 9, 2022
Are you tired of wrestling over and over again with the same old concerns? Has it become aggravating to the point it is beginning to weigh you down? First Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for us.” Just throw it on him, and let him carry your burdens. Jesus said we could cast all of our cares on him because he cares for us! There is nothing we are going through that we cannot cast on the Lord.
A burden could be described in many ways. Firstly, a burden could be something that causes you lots of worry or hard work. … Worry and stress—just throw those burdens and concerns on Jesus, for he cares for you. Let God handle that situation, which will soon send you favor.
Secondly, a burden can be a heavy load that is difficult to carry mentally and physically; the sickness of someone that you truly love or maybe you yourself. That sickness could be one that is incurable. Watching a loved one suffer could be more than you can bear. Those cares are what the Lord wants you to cast on him.
In 1 Peter 5:7, these words were written to the suffering saints in the early church who were experiencing intense suffering and extreme persecution—not because they were doing anything wrong, but because they were living out their faith in humility and righteousness. Peter wanted them to know that no matter what we are going through, all of our worries and anxieties can be thrown on the Lord, because he cares for us.
David encouraged the same type of commitment in Psalm 55:22 when he said, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”…
So, my friend, take everything that is bothering and weighing you down, and cast it on a kind and loving God! Trust me, God cares for the righteous.—Annie Shear1
We are not designed to carry the burden of worry, fretting, and anxiety. This load is simply too much for the human body and the central nervous system to tolerate. We may be able to manage it for a while, but eventually the physical body and mind will begin to break under this type of perpetual pressure. In fact, the medical world has confirmed that the major source of sickness in the Western Hemisphere is stress and pressure. Man was simply not fashioned to carry pressures, stresses, anxieties, and worries; this is the reason his body breaks down when it undergoes these negative influences for too long. …
But exactly what problems and cares are we to throw over onto the shoulders of the Lord? The apostle Peter says we are to cast all of “our cares” upon Jesus. The word “cares” is the Greek word merimna, which means anxiety. However, in principle it described any affliction, difficulty, hardship, misfortune, trouble, or complicated circumstance that arises as a result of problems that develop in our lives. It could refer to problems that are financial, marital, job-related, family-related, business-oriented, or anything else that concerns us.
This means anything that causes you worry or anxiety—regardless of why it happened—is what you need to throw over onto the shoulders of Jesus Christ!
Nothing is too big or small to talk to the Lord about, Peter says, because He “careth for you.” The word “careth” is taken from the Greek word melei, which means to be concerned; to be thoughtful; to be interested; to be aware; to notice; or to give painful and meticulous attention. Peter uses this word to assure us that Jesus really does care about us and the things that are heavy on our hearts. In fact, He gives meticulous attention to what is happening to us. He is interested in every facet of our lives.
You don’t have to carry the whole weight of the world by yourself. Jesus loves you so much and is so deeply concerned about you and the difficulties you are facing that He calls out to you today, “Roll those burdens over on Me. Let Me carry them for you so you can be free!”
If you are lugging around worries, cares, and concerns about your family, your business, your church, or any other area of your life, why not stop right now and say, “Jesus, I’m yielding every one of these concerns to You today. I cast my burden on You, and I thank You for setting me free!”—Rick Renner2
God is a caring, loving, compassionate father. He loves you more than you will ever understand. He loves you more than you can ever comprehend. God is love, and he made you to love you. He is loving toward you in everything that he does, and his compassion is his most outstanding quality. God is a caring father.
The Bible says in Psalm 103:13, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”3 He cares about everything in your life—compassionately.
Most of the disciples were professional fishermen. One day when they were out [on the lake], Jesus got tired and curled up in one end of the boat and went to sleep. When a storm came up, it shouldn’t have bothered the disciples. As fishermen, they were used to storms. But this must have been a big one, because they got scared. The ship was rocking and rolling, and water was coming into the boat. They were frantic and woke up Jesus to ask him one of the most important questions in life: “Lord, don’t you care?”
You and I ask that question of God all the time and in a thousand ways: “God, did you see that doctor’s report? Don’t you care? Do you see what a mess my marriage is in? Don’t you care? Do you see how little money we’ve got in the bank and all the bills we’ve got? Don’t you care? Do you see how my kids are struggling in school? Don’t you care? You know this fear that grips my mind that I can’t seem to get rid of. Don’t you care?”
The answer is yes, God cares. In fact, he cares more than you care. He wants to help more than you want help. He knows what will help you more than you know what will help you. He is aware, and he cares.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”4—Rick Warren5
To cast your burdens upon the Lord means to transfer ownership of those burdens from yourself to the Lord. You essentially give your burdens to Him to carry, rather than carrying them yourself. It is a decision you make in your mind to release the care and the worry about the problem. Once you give it to the Lord, it is no longer your problem to be concerned with. …
Your burdens are the troubles that this life hands out. The things that cause you to feel weighed down or worrisome are burdens. … We live in a fallen world that is full of trouble and hardships, but we were never designed to carry our own burdens. Whatever situation you find yourself in, cast the worry of it on the Lord. He wants to help you! ...
One of the promises in Psalm 55:22 is that when you cast your burdens on the Lord, He will sustain you. To sustain someone means to maintain, nourish, provide food, bear, hold up, protect, support, defend, or to supply the means necessary for living. …
To cast your burdens on the Lord, begin by praying. Connect with the Lord and tell Him what’s going on. Tell Him your concerns and feelings. And then make the decision to hand the problem over to Him. Remember, He actually wants you to do this!
Roll the entire weight of the care onto the Lord. Tell Him that you are now giving this burden to Him, and you trust Him to take care of it for you. Begin to feel His peace cover your heart and mind as you do this.
“Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.”6 …
As you continue to cast your burdens upon the Lord, life will get better. Situations and trials come against us all, but there is great strength and grace that operates in the life of those who know how to let the Lord sustain them!—Walk with the Wise7
Are you sometimes worried and burdened with the strain of it all? Those are the times when you must come to Me. Come to Me on the wings of prayer, and I will sustain you.
The burdens you are carrying were not designed to fit on your shoulders; they were intended for Me to carry. In My love and compassion I have fashioned it so that you might draw close to Me and allow Me to sustain you and draw close to you.8 I love you, and I will carry you through if you will cast all your cares upon Me.
Be as a wise man who learns from the example of others. Look to the example of My servant Martin Luther, who, when he had a task that was too big, pulled back and took double time in prayer and sweet communion with Me.
When Luther prayed, he cast all of his burdens on Me. This is the secret of quiet rest—casting all your cares upon Me, knowing that I care for you, and that I always will! I will not allow more to be put upon your shoulders than you and I together are able to bear. As you cast your burden upon Me, you will be able to avail yourself of My strength. My strength will be perfected in you.9—Jesus
Published on Anchor August 2022. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
Music by John Listen.
3 NIV.
4 1 Peter 5:7.
5 https://www.lightsource.com/ministry/daily-hope/devotionals/daily-hope-with-rick-warren/god-is-aware-and-he-cares-daily-hope-with-rick-warren-december-10-2016-11765294.html.
6 Philippians 4:6–7.
8 James 4:8.
9 2 Corinthians 12:9.
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