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Cast Your Cares on Him
Andrea Lende • March 13, 2020
I Peter 5:6-7
Cast Your Cares on Him
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Daily Word:
I Peter 5:6-7
“Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,”
“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”
The Bible talks a lot about being humble.
There are different places where the Bible speaks against being proud.
Isaiah 2:12 says, “The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).”
However, this scripture talks about being humble in a different way – not humility verses pride.
It talks about being humble under the, “mighty hand of God”.
What does that mean?
Our second verse gives us some clues.
“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”
When we get wrought up by the circumstances that surround us, we are trying to take control those circumstances.
It’s impossible.
It’s like roping a tornado.
We have to let God take care of us and our circumstances.
We have to give Him our worries.
Not sometimes, but at all times.
This verse says, once and for all.
It’s a pretty constant process though.
With all the uncertainties that are in our world today we can become very unsure and sit in unrest.
I find that as I try and take control back, I need to surrender and keep surrendering.
There is nothing that I can control about the world we live in.
I can only control me.
And so, I pray that God will give me the strength to make good decisions and live according to His will.
Today I choose to relinquish control and give God all my cares, concerns, anxieties, and circumstances and allow Him to work in all areas of my life.
May you find that as you give Him the reigns of your life and let Him have your fears, concerns, and anxieties that He calms the storms around you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for all You do for me and all You are. Thank You for working in every circumstance of my life. Thank You for allowing me to give you my fears, anxieties, cares, failures, and mishaps. Thank You for caring enough about me to want to take all these worries from me. Thank You for righting my wrongs, and for working out everything for my good. Your constant care of me is perfect. I ask You to calm the raging storm around me and help me know that You have a perfect plan for me and the family You have given me. Keep my eyes on You as the world seems to spin out of control. Help me look to the heavens instead of the chaos that whirls around me. May Your perfect peace rest on me this day. May I sit in Your presence and be made whole in this moment. Thank You, Father, for all You do for me and all that You are. Undeserving of Your love and attention, I cannot escape it. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and have a plan for you even as these days look uncertain. Keep your eyes on Me.
Response: Help me look to You for all that I need and desire, Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.