Cast Your Cares

“Cast all your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

We enjoy living in the outskirts of Redding, but it is also a lot of work to keep up the almost three acres, especially when trying to keep our property firesafe. We were so thankful for such a wonderful spring with all the extra rain. The only small drawback was that the weeds kept coming back each time after we had weed-eaten. In fact, I just finished doing that dirty task for the third time this year! (I know, it’s a small price to pay for all that extra, much needed water we had been praying for and received.)

Our handheld weed-eater has a shoulder strap designed to take the weight off my arms. However, I constantly found myself holding it up with my arms, forgetting to let my shoulders bear the weight. I had to keep reminding myself to “cast the weight” back on my shoulders so as not to wear myself out so soon.

There is a spiritual parallel here. I had been dealing with a situation that was stressing me out. As I “vented” my frustration to a friend, she prayed that I would cast those cares on the Lord, and not allow the enemy of my soul to steal my joy. Of course, that is what I needed to do!

1 Peter 5:6-8 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care (anxiety) upon Him for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

With that timely reminder, I did just that: I cast those cares on the Lord and got the relief He intended for me. But it wasn’t long before I started rethinking it, picking up the heaviness once again. Just like I had to do with the weed-eater, I had to continually remind myself to give that weightiness back over where it belonged.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Lord, thank You for the struggles that keep me dependent on and close to You. ‘In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul’ (Psalm 94:19). Amen!