First Peter 5:7 reads; “Cast all your cares on him
because he cares for you!” Psalm 55:22 says; “Cast
your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you…”
Jesus himself encouraged; “Do not worry…” (Matthew
6:25) Sounds good; but we all know it’s not as easy
as it sounds.
I have said many times, “When you have a
relationship with Jesus, you have a friend who
carries you through the toughest of times, and the
worst of problems.” This is a true statement. But
again, it sounds easier than it is. We are a
worrying people. We cast our cares and may even feel
a little better for a short time. But then we start
thinking about our troubles and before long, we’re
worrying again!
There is a world famous print which usually plasters
the walls of Christian bookstores. The print shows
footprints in the sand with this story: “A man
dreamed that he and Jesus went for a walk along the
beach. Together they reviewed his life. For most of
his life, the man could see two sets of footprints.
But, when he came to his toughest problems in life
there was only one set of footprints. So he said to
Jesus, when things got rough you left me and I had
to go through the tough times alone. Then Jesus
explained what really happened. Jesus said there is
only one set of footsteps during the tough times
because Jesus Himself carried the man through it.”
I can easily identify with the man in the story.
Walking with Jesus; casting all our burdens on Him;
does not come natural. We have a tendency to take
our problems on without Him; on our own effort; on
our own energy. And as we all have experienced, that
usually leads to worry.
I have no problem telling others to cast their care.
From my first day within the ministry of Lincoln
Christian, we have constantly had someone in our
church family searching for a new job. This is a big
place with many people and someone is always without
employment. We have had people laid off, fired,
downsized, or their place of work close its doors.
The elders and I have sent up many prayers for
individuals who were between jobs. And I have many
times looked into the face of some concerned people.
Truth be told, if I had been in
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their shoes, I too would have had some big concerns.
And so I encouraged; “God is faithful…cast your
cares on him…he cares for you!” Easily said! Not
always easily followed.
And yet, God has never failed to be faithful to me
or them. I have many times heard the happiness in a
voice as they announce “I have a new job!” I have
witnessed the joy in their smile as they share, “I’m
employed again.” I have seen all these job lost
situations turn around and our people get new work.
Sure enough, they have all been cared for again and
again. When encouraging you to trust God and give
him some time, I have all the faith in the world
that he will come through. He always has, he always
will!
But when it comes to my problems; when it comes to
my troubles, why do I have such a difficult time
casting my cares. “Cast all your care on him because
he cares for you.” I believe that. I teach that! But
boy; is that hard to do.
I have not discovered any formulas that make this
easier. I have no easy to follow five step programs
or an easy to remember acrostic. I just have Jesus
and his promise. And so today, I make up my mind,
I’m not going to worry. I’m going to cast ALL my
cares on him, because he cares for me!
Boy…this really isn’t easy!
[Ron Otto, Lincoln Christian Church] |
