Casting Cares

 In recent days I have visited with people carrying all kinds of cares. Some of the stories were painful. People are suffering all around. The devastation is far reaching. 

One lady was laid off just before Thanksgiving. Her previous employer even tried to shortchange her last paycheck. A grown daughter faced the deaths of her stepfather and mother within two weeks of each other. If that were not tragic enough, her relationship with her mother was estranged. The mother treated the daughter horribly her whole life. Even after death the mother found one more way to inflict pain on her daughter leaving a critical letter behind to be read after she deceased. One family was hit with an unexpected $7,000 bill they cannot possibly pay. A matriarch of a family was diagnosed with cancer. Another faces debilitating depression that renders her incapable of even getting out of bed on some days. Another lady lives with the dreadful remembrance of grief and the pain of losing a soul mate this time of year. The health crisis happened on Christmas morning as the family opened presents. One other had a heart attack requiring open heart surgery. 

I Pet 5:7 exhorts us casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 

When the future is obscured by dark circumstances it may not feel like God cares. It may seem just the opposite. Just like the clouds can hide the sun so can our troubles overshadow our view of God for a season. That is why it is so imperative that we remain in our Bibles to discover truth that encourages us keep believing. The sun still shines behind the clouds and God remains in compassionate control behind frowning providences. God is faithful in nature. That means that He cannot be anything other than trustworthy and reliable. That is who He is. He will come through for His people if we trust long enough and wait long enough. I am not saying it will always work out the way we want. He will be faithful. 

From time to time each of us face problems too large for us to solve. We cannot fix them. We cannot solve them. We are forced to trust or worry. Anxiety destroys health.  Cast all your cares on Him. Every single one of them. One by one cast those cares onto God. We must let God do the heavy lifting. I assure you He is able to handle whatever His children are facing. He can handle all of it. Cast it on Him and leave it with Him. Seriously. Throw it off onto His broad shoulders and leave it with Him. It will lead to less stress and more peace.