Casting Your Cares Upon The Lord

CASTING YOUR CARES UPON THE LORD

Study Text: 1 Peter 5: 6 - 8

Introduction:

- These verses do not promise that God will fix or remove all our concerns all the times . Instead, they give us assurance in knowing that He cares for us, which is why we can cast our cares on Him.

- God is trustworthy to handle our cares in the best way. Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. We should trust that God is able and willing to deal with our cares.

- Many times we carry burdens that are too heavy for us, and they hinder us from living joyful lives. The worries we have concerning our lives and the uncertainty we face can deprive us of the peace we are supposed to enjoy in Him.

- The good news is that God is ready to help us with the cares, worries, and anxieties that we may have. God wants us to give to Him the things that make us anxious because He has the ability to deal with them.

- We are limited in our ability to handle situations that are out of our control. Even though most of the times we think we do, but we actually do not.

- We shall be discussing the topic under three subheadings:

1. The Possible Cares

2. The Promised Cure

3. The Practical Cases

1. The Possible Cares

- There is a lot to be concerned about in this life: Making a living, maintaining a marriage, raising children, getting along with coworkers and neighbours, car and house repairs, health concerns, preparing for retirement, church ministries, interpersonal discord, the latest negative news, and so on.

- But the cares of this life can have a detrimental impact in our lives in unexpected ways. In an increasingly insecure world, people are living in tension and anxiety. Horrific scenes of death and destruction can be seen and heard of every day.

- However, in such troubled times, the child of God can be rest assured that our future is always secure in God’s hands.

- Now, we know that life cannot be lived free from all sense of anxiety and concern: For example, being concerned about having an automobile accident and disaster will cause us to practice rules of safety. Concern over becoming ill will cause us to practice rules of good health.

- However, we must not allow these concerns to control our lives and keep us in the bondage of fear, but rather to trust God and hand over every situation to Him in prayer.

- There are different kinds of cares and worries in our lives:

1. Cares and worries about things that have already happened:

- There are certain things that happened to us in the past, that has become a burden today and is constituting a stumbling block on our path to a glorious tomorrow.

- Past deeds cannot be undone, or past words unsaid. If the past involves sin, obey the conditions to receive forgiveness and God will abundantly forgive. Isaiah 55:6-7

- Paul encouraged us to always put the past behind us and trust God by pressing on for something better in the future. Philippians 3:12-15

2. Cares and worries over things that will inevitably happen:

- There are certain things that must happen in the course of time. Rather than allowing them to keep us in the bondage of fear, we should rather prepare for them, depending on the grace and wisdom of God.

- For example, a pregnant woman must have a due date for delivery. A yearly rent must expired at the due date. Growing old must happen if one is still alive, and death will come at an appointed time known by God. Hebrews 9:27

3. Cares and worries about things that will never happen:

- Some people have worried over a great many things in life, the most of which never happened. Surveys have shown that most of the things we worry about never happen.

- Some people are experts in imagining evil things either against themselves or against others, and these keep them in bondage of fear all through life, and most of these imaginations will never come to pass.

- For example, when they kept the Ark of Covenant in the house of Obededom, the expectation is that the Ark will kill him, but rather, the Ark was blessing him.

4. Cares and worries about things that may likely happen:

- Some things are likely to happen, either by times and chances of life, or by close observation of unfolding events.

- Even in such situations, we should trust God for His words and promises, that His thoughts towards us are thoughts of peace and not of evil, and that He can make all things to work out for our good. Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28.