"Casting all your care on Him"?
Jun 11, 2024 9:00 am
Hi ~
When I was young(er), I used to hear this a lot.
“I keep giving the Lord my cares, but I keep taking them back!”
It’s based on 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
(The ESV translates that “anxieties,” but that version wasn’t around in those days.)
Many years ago, I did a study of these two words.
“Cast” and “care.”
For one thing, did you know that Greek word translated “care” (ESV “anxieties”) is the very same word Paul used when he said in 2 Corinthians 11:28,
“And apart from those other things [problems he described in the previous verses], there is the daily pressure of me of my CARE/ANXIETY for all the churches.”
Perhaps Paul cast his care on the Lord, but he continued to have it.
I also noticed something about that word “cast.”
It’s the same word used when the disciples of Jesus “cast” their garments on the colt that Jesus rode on in His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:7).
It was a kind of offering to Him. But the garments were still theirs.
Many people have thought that casting your care on Jesus means you should never think about it again. But I don’t see that from the Scriptures.
Paul didn’t abdicate his care of the churches when he gave his care to the Lord.
I think a wiser way to look at it would be,
“Lord, I’m feeling full of care (anxious, worried, etc). I hand my burden of care to You and ask You to help me hold it.”
When the anxiety returns, you can think,
“It’s hard, and You know it’s hard, Lord. But I’m thankful You’re helping me hold it.”
We don't have to "confess the sin of taking it back after we've handed it to Him."
Ugh.
Oh, my friend, He loves us. He wants to be with us and doesn’t shame us for our weaknesses. He understands them.
He wants to gently help us hold our cares, as we continue to walk with Him into full healing and deliverance.
With love,
Rebecca
Untwisting Scriptures at heresthejoy.com
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