I never thought of it quite that way before.  Have you?  Now you’re wondering what I’m talking about!  I’m looking at 1 Peter 5.   Humble yourselves, Peter says, for God will lift you up.  That’s verse 6.  The next verse challenges me.  I read that I can cast all my worries on the Lord, because He cares for me.  This applies to you, too!  Get your heart and mind around that thought.  Cast your cares on Jesus!

I’ve got a New Testament Greek language lesson for you.  Hope you don’t mind.  You do?  Too bad!  Here it is, anyway!   Verse 7–‘casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you'(ESV).   ‘All your anxieties’–each and everyone of them.  None left out.  No exceptions.  No exemptions.

The word ‘cast’ means to toss aside, with a subtle meaning here.  ‘Casting’ would be like tossing a blanket on a donkey and letting the animal carry it for you.  Throw all of our worries… onto the Lord’s back.  Why?  Because He cares so much.  You can trust someone who really cares for you.  Can’t you?

But here’s what I never thought about before.  The word ‘casting’ in the original Greek is a participle, which modifies what Peter tells us in verse 6–about being humble before the Lord.  A participle tells us more about the verb that it refers back to.  Gives extra meaning and color to the original thought.  In this case, to be humble before the Lord is to cast all our worries onto His sturdy shoulders.  But what gets me is the thought that my worry and fears are really pride.  Thinking that I can take care of things myself.  Pride– relying on my own strength and ability.  Pride that I can do whatever, all by myself.   Calling on the Lord… only as a last resort, when all else has failed.  Never thought of my worrying, my sleepless nights, as having anything to do with pride.

I’m thinking about it now.  Shouldn’t you?  Being more consistent,  believing in the One who cares so much for us.  Whom we can trust more than anyone else.  To nestle close by Him, feeling His warmth and love.  I’m going to have to think about this.  Still quite foreign to totally trust in Jesus.   And I’ve been a believer for over 50 years.

And you?  We need to start casting our cares on Him without reeling the fishing line right back into our own grubby paws.  Start throwing our worries His way not using a boomerang!  Knowing whose we are and that He can be trusted…to care for us!

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, that we can trust you.  For loving us, Your children.  All because of Your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.