1 Peter 5:7 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
7 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.
What exactly does it mean to cast your care on the Lord?
Casting your care is like giving God anything and everything that is a source of concern for you and not going back to pick those issues up but leaving them at His feet. Whatever is taking up space on your mind, anything that is giving you concern is worth talking to God about. Unfortunately, what we tend to do more often is that we get the first part right, we talk to God about it but right after talking to Him, we go back and pick up the issues right out of His hands because most times, it seems nothing is happening on the outside that you can see so we count this inactivity on God’s part to mean God is not working on our behalf. Again, some of us think we only need to mention the issue to God once and repeating the same thing will bother Him. If any issue preoccupies your mind, then it is worth talking to God about. Do this until such issues no longer bother you.
When my husband and I were starting out in ministry on our own and I saw all the financial commitments required monthly to get things moving, it became a source of concern for me. I remember some days when I would think about upcoming bills, my heart would begin to beat faster. Sometimes I would even feel sick to my stomach. None of these feelings solved the problem and I quickly realized that trying to figure out how God was going to provide is not my job. I remember telling myself to roll it all over to God and let Him take care of His business and the work He has called us to do. I had to do this for some time until it became such that when the matter comes to mind it no longer bothered me and I knew I had succeeded in rolling over the care of the issue to Him.
To successfully roll your concern to God, you must trust Him enough that He has your best interest at heart, and He will come through for you. It might not be in the way you want, or the way you think, but He will never let you down.
See Jesus’ promise to us in John 14:
John 14:1-2 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
1 Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me.
2 In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you.
This scripture gives me a lot of encouragement and I hope you are encouraged too as you fix your eyes and heart on Jesus’ promise here. If anything was to go wrong about something we are believing God for, Jesus gave us the assurance that He would give us a heads up. He does not want things to happen to us by surprise. One of the works of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is to reveal the future to us. It is never God’s intention for His children to operate from the place of unexpected surprises. He might not tell you point blank what the issues are, but He gives us pointers, restrains and nudges us towards a preferred action.
John 16:13 Contemporary English Version
13 The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.
John 16:13 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].
Fear of the unknown is the primary cause of anxiety. Understanding the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives as the revealer of the future will help us cast our cares on God.
Let me challenge you; if there is something on your mind this season, commit to roll it over to God and allow Him deal with that issue as He deems fit. Don’t allow the situation steal your joy. Do everything within your power to protect your joy because the Bible makes us to know that “the Joy of the Lord is our strength”. Joy strengthens our hearts and helps us face the future courageously.
My prayer for you is that as you cast your cares and burdens to the Lord, you will begin to experience His peace that surpasses anything your mind can fathom. You will work from the place of strength and not be overwhelmed in Jesus name!
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