I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at your feet
And anytime I don’t know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon You
–Fanny CrosbyThis beautiful, tender, simple song has meant a lot to me over the years, and never more than in the past two weeks sorrowing over the death of my dear brother-in-law and friend Johnse.
Of course the words of this song come from 1 Peter 5:17, “…casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you.”
But this idea didn’t start with James. The notion that if we have a care, a worry, an anxiety, a burden that is too heavy to carry–that we can entrust it to the Lord–that concept originates in scripture way back in the Psalms.
Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
So much important theology resides in these two simple verses.
You see, not only is our God loving: kind and caring enough to want to help you and me carry the things in life that are too heavy…He is also strong enough to do something about them. Our God is not only all-loving, He is all-powerful.
Almighty God is the One, the only One, strong enough to sustain you. Strong enough to not just help–but to ensure that you will survive this. He will never let you be shaken.
Both things are true of our God. All caring. All powerful.
And that is why our burdens are safe with Him. He not only wants to carry them, He is strong enough to carry them.
These verses also instruct us to “cast” our cares on the Lord. Have you ever watched a fisherman cast? He is chucking that line and lure with all his might—far, far away from himself and into the deep. Or think of a game of hot potato. The idea is to get that potato out of your lap and into the possession of someone else as soon as possible. Throwing, casting, chucking. When a burden lands in your lap, cast it–throw it–chuck it at the Lord. Turn it over to His strong and capable care as soon as you can.
I know many in our church family are struggling under a burden that is simply too much to manage alone. Remember there’s a God who is both all-loving and all-powerful. Cast all your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you and because He is strong enough to sustain you.
