Cast Your Cares

Psalm 55:22 – Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (NKJV)

She wasn't any good at rod-and-reel casting, because she never did it. Instead, my maternal grandmother was a cane pole caster. Weather permitting, she fished every time she got a chance, but she didn't take a rod and reel. She cut cane that grew in the swamps around their farmland and made her own fishing poles.

Occasionally, when I'd fish with her, I'd take along a rod and reel. She'd dip her poles near the boat, and I'd cast my line out into the middle of the lake. I can't ever remember catching anything with my rod and reel. I knew how to cast, but I undoubtedly wasn't casting in the right place or with the right lures.

Another type of casting has also been difficult for me — the kind that the psalmist refers to — the type where I take my cares and anxieties and throw them to God. Although the Bible assures me that God cares for me and doesn't want me to be anxious over things occurring in my life, I tend to let my feelings win out too many times. I forget God's promise to sustain me.

Whatever cares I have, God has them, too. If I'm His child, He's concerned about every detail in my life. He's even concerned about those who aren't His children. His love reaches to all, but especially to those who've chosen to follow Him.

How God can handle all the cares that we hold onto at any given moment is beyond understanding. But, after all, He is God. He's the sovereign ruler of the universe. He controls, guides, and sustains. All those traits equip Him to shoulder whatever concerns us. We can handle only so much before we have a nervous breakdown, emotional burnout, or turn to substances to help us to get through. But if we'll let God handle those things, we won't have to experience any of that.

Trying to handle our own cares shows a lack of trust in God. He never tires of our casting our cares on Him. Unlike my casting that never resulted in anything, casting on God always has results. We'll reel in His peace, comfort, wisdom, and guidance to face whatever causes our anxiety.

Try casting God's way. You'll never be disappointed.

Prayer: Father, we cast our cares on You, believing that You are able to give us comfort and peace, regardless of our circumstances. Amen.