Why ever wouldn't you?

Cast all your cares on Him, for he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7

The God of impossibilities is offering to take the weight of your cares, why ever wouldn’t you take up his offer?

Maybe you didn’t realise there was something to be done. We rightly talk lots about God’s unconditional love but somehow, the idea has snuck in that because God loves us whatever we do, we don’t need to do anything.

When it comes to burdens, there is something to be done. You have to cast them.

Surely not? You’re already exhausted, backpack lacerating your shoulders, fingers clenched lugging rubble down the road of life, and now there is something else to be done.

Here’s the thing - burdens don’t just fall off. They have to be cast. That word “cast” is more than a passive dropping - it’s jettisoning your burdens at the feet of Jesus. Like a ship casting off rubbish so it doesn’t sink.

Why ever wouldn’t you?

Maybe you’ve forgotten how to live light. Sometimes burdens become so familiar that we imagine they’re part of us. We may walk slower, and joy eludes us but that’s just life. Not God’s life! Take a moment to ask God, “What’s weighing me down?”.  He may surprise you.

Of course, every day brings new challenges, and sometimes old worries boomerang back. I find it helpful to regularly list what’s weighing me down and intentionally hand stuff over one by one to the Lord. But if there is a tricky, sticky one, I find a friend to pray with me.

When I minister, I love seeing people set free from heavy loads of guilt and fear and resentment and shame. Recently, it was wonderful to see someone freed from feeling guilty for passing on a cancer gene to her kids. God is in the business of daily bearing our burdens (Psalm 68:19).

And here is why - “for he cares for you”. I’m loving watching my little granddaughter take her first steps, looking forward to the day I see her run. God loves you and me so much; he doesn’t want us stumbling through life, weighed down with care.

Cast all your cares on Him, for he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7

Why ever wouldn’t you?