“Cast all your anxieties, cares, burdens on him (Abba, Father), because he cares for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7
Heavenly Father, the best part of this much-loved verse is the last four words, “he cares for you.” How do you care for us? Not like a genie in a bottle granting wishes, or a butler at a mansion answering our every whim, or a masseuse at a 5-star spa working on our muscle knots… but like the perfect Father that you are—”the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Cor.1:3).
You’ve numbered our hairs, sorrows, and days. You know our fears and bottle our tears. No one cares for us like you. The Gospel is the clearest, loudest, boldest, kindest proof this is true. But how do we cast our cares on you when we feel like we just had rotator-cuff surgery on both shoulders?
Maybe the answer is in a song that just randomly streamed into my morning listening—“Letting Go for Dear Life.” Not holding on, but letting go of stuff we don’t have the ability to cast. So by faith, I envision myself standing on a very high cliff, and below me is an ocean of your faithfulness, care, and grace. Here’s a pile of “stuff” me and my friends gladly want to “drop off,” Abba.
- The burden of feeling responsible for our loved ones’ happiness and holiness.
- The weight and ache of unhealed traumas and trigger-happy emotions.
- The care of caring too much about the upcoming American election.
- A backpack stuffed too full of regrets, resentment, and unforgiveness.
- A second backpack crammed with “comparison-itis,” envy, and discontent.
Thank you, Abba, for giving us Jesus, and taking our cares. So Very Amen.