All

As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.  Often we’re used to a scripture and don’t realize the common truths it contains.  Here is a truth that needs to re-sink into our hearts.  Other writers wrote about it as well.  That means we read it and say “that’s right” but proceed not to do it.  I know we’re human.  However, God is not like us.  We can take him at his word.

I Peter 5: ⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. ¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

This helps us in a very particular way.  We help each other in different capacities to different degrees.  I can only help you so much.  I can encourage you, but if you need your gall bladder removed, do you want me to do it?  No!  You want a doctor but not just any doctor.  You want a surgeon who does gall bladder surgery.  You expect him to do a good job, but sometimes doctors make mistakes.  God never messes up.  He never refuses those who come to him in faith and give him their all.  You may be trusting God a great deal, but are you trusting him with all your heart?  Proverbs 3 says trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

It all hinges on our trust.  Can you really trust God?  I’m not talking about the God in your imagination or your viewpoint.  We can trust the God of the Bible.  He can be touched and seen—just not with our physical senses.  He does, however, see us with 20/20 vision.  We can see him if we want to.  Our vision of him is fuzzy sometimes, and it’s our own fault.  We don’t trust him with all our heart and soul.  That’s our primary command:  love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Are we to trust him with some of our cares?  Most of our cares?  90% of our cares?  We are to trust him with ALL of them.

We feel that we have to help God out sometimes, like he needs our help and input.  Do we need to share the load with him?  Peter doesn’t say to cast a lot of our care on the Lord.  He says to cast all our care on him.  Here is why we come to a dead end.  We feel God needs our help.  You can do your best and you should, but the best any of us can do is trust him with all our heart.  Jesus said if we come to him he will give us rest.  We cannot rest if we hold onto it.  We fall asleep at night when we let go and release everything.  Our body takes advantage of the shutdown of the brain/thought process and sleeps.  We don’t take advantage of what God does.  There isn’t a part for us to handle.  Our work is to trust.  Realize that you cannot handle it.  Realize that you are not successful at handling your life.

Verse 6 is the key.  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.  When we try to handle our lives, it’s like putting a hammer in the hands of a child.  Lay down your hammer and trust the Lord.  You can’t do it.  Confess your lack and come to grips with who you are and who you are not.  None of us can handle it.  We’re small, weak, and unable.  We are not powerful and tough.  We’re not smart enough to work it out ourselves.  It’s a self-help society.  We’re told we have the power within us; nothing is beyond our reach.  This is not true.  We must humble ourselves and see ourselves clearly.  To say we don’t need help is foolish.  We all have this in common.  We’re helpless.  We have what we have by the providence of God.  Life is a gift.  The cares and worries of life and the workings of Satan are too much for us. First recognize your ineffectiveness. We are all unable. Our hand is not mighty, God’s is.

Peter told Jesus that he’d never deny him, that he’d die for him.  Jesus told him that Satan desired to sift him as wheat.  Jesus prayed that his faith wouldn’t fail but told Peter that he would deny him three times before the dawn.  This same Peter realized how little he could, how little we can, do.  That’s why he said cast ALL your care upon the Lord.

What is causing you care?  What is your trial?  How is your life?  How well are you handling yourself?  How successful have you been at helping out God?  We don’t help him.  We may handle one or two things okay, but we cannot handle it all.  We need God.  Peter said give it up and cast it all on the Lord.  Some people feel God doesn’t want to be burdened or that he won’t do anything about it.  If we really cast it all on him, we have to leave it there.

He cares for us.  If you’re weighed down, you cannot handle it.  God is God.  He’s steady.  He wants you living a life of peace.  Whose hand is bigger, yours or God’s?  What can you carry that he can’t?  Nothing!  He’s big enough. He loves us enough to carry it all if we cast it on him.

To cast our care on the Lord means to let go of it.  Let him take it.  See what he can do.  Give him all your heart and soul.  That comes along with giving him your cares.  Are you willing to do that?  Put your care and yourself in his arms, ALL of it.