Cast Your Cares
God does not promise you a carefree life. He promises that as you need help, He is present and will help carry you through each day.
“How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you? Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. You are to divide the land into seven parts. After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God. The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance. Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.”
Joshua 18:1-7, 10
There was a practice in the early days of entering and occupying the promised land that could help us today. The text says that Joshua cast lots for the people in the presence of the Lord to decide what to do. One might think of this like a game of chance or rolling the dice, but this is not how the people of Israel thought about the process.
Casting lots meant throwing down an object and trusting God with it. The people believed that God would guide the outcome and trusted that God's plan was what was best. Notice that the text says they did this in the presence of the Lord. This was not a game of chance, but a casting of cares upon the Lord. Imagine what would happen if we adopted this process? What would happen if we did not carry the weight of each decision but chose to bring it to the Lord? How would you feel if you never had to carry a burden again, but could come to the God whose strength knows no boundaries? God calls us to cast in His presence our cares knowing that He cares for us perfectly.
“Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Psalms 55:1-2, 4-8, 16-17, 20-22
David models three steps to finding freedom from the fears and concerns that can captivate us. He names the burden. He says that he is hurt by the betrayal of a friend. He is afraid and is experiencing the terrors of death. He wants to run and hide. He wants to flee and go far away. Can you relate to David? David is honest before God about how he feels and what his cares are.
David refuses to carry the burden alone. We were never meant to walk alone. We were made in the image of God to be in relationship with God. We live in a world that teaches us to be tough and that is a good thing. The bible teaches us that there is a difference between being tough and alone and tough and tethered to God. David refuses to do life alone. How about you? Are you carrying any burdens?
David made a critical choice and that choice was to transfer those burdens to God. He says cast your cares on the Lord. This is not passive imagery. This is propelling, throwing, or placing firmly all the weight of the cares into God's righteous right hand. For us, this means learning to let go and let God. We let go of the fear of what might happen and we let God do what He does best. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the one who with a word can calm the seas and create the world. Who else is better suited to carry our cares and control the outcome. How could you transfer those burdens to God?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”— my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood. These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it. Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.”
Proverbs 1:2-5, 7, 10-16, 18-20, 23
Life can feel like a race. It can feel like we are in a hundred yard dash and we want to get off the starting line as quickly as possible to get ahead. The problem is life is not a dash, it is a marathon, and the beginning is the base of the journey. It is so easy for us to hurry up in life and try to do everything on our own. Where does this get us? Does it not lead us faster to a place of more concerns?
Solomon says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Solomon says slow down and see that God is in control. Take time to be reverent before God. Take time to see how powerful and almighty He is. Take time to realize that you are better off going in God's timing according to God's plan than going full steam ahead off the righteous road. How could stepping back and seeing how great God is help you keep your cares in perspective?
Solomon says do not listen to those who invite you to come and cast lots in their evil schemes. You see the process of casting lots has no power if it is not done in the presence of God for the purposes of God. You can go in search of power, possessions, and profit, but if those come at the expense of the poor then the King of Kings is going to have a problem with you. Choose wisely who you travel with in life and who you choose to follow.
“Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba...Seek the Lord and live...There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground. You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.. let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
Amos 5:4-7, 11-15, 18, 24
God speak through Amos and ushers an altar call to the people. He says seek me and you will live. This must have caused them to do a double take. Technically the people were alive. They had a pulse and physically had breath in their lungs. So what did God mean that they would live?
Jesus came to show us that real life, eternal life, heavenly life is found in following Him and finding the part you play in serving the purposes of God. Anything less than life connected with God is not really living. God calls out the people who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground. Throughout the scriptures we see God cares about justice and righteousness.
What does that mean to you and how does that impact how you live? When God speaks of His view of justice and righteousness, He seems to speak in terms much broader than we might typically view life. Solomon says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. God wants us to learn to look at our lives and the people around us through His eyes. Through just and righteous eyes. He says living a life where you accumulate all you can at the expense of others is not honoring to Him. He says let justice roll on like a river and righteousness like a stream. This sounds like the great refrains of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inspiring leaders of the civil rights movement. The question is how do we join in the movement? How do we become people who help bring justice and righteousness to the world? How can you personally do something to help someone today?
“Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Hebrews 2:6-11, 13-15, 17-18
One of the most awe inspiring truths of scripture that should help us revel in the fear of the Lord is that Jesus came to us to help us when we could not help ourselves. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. Before we asked and when there was no way for us to make peace with God. Jesus steps into our reality. He comes into our story and He took our cares upon Himself on the cross. What do you need to lay down at the foot of the cross today? What burden do you need to let go of so your hands are free to serve?
Jesus said come to me all you who are weary and burden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Jesus wants us to live life connected where He carries your burdens. He was fully human. He experienced the full weight of torment, persecution, suffering, poverty, pain, and the human condition. Jesus is not distant from understanding your worries. He lived them. He embraced them. He chose to go through them so that you would know that He knows you. He knows what you are going through and He comes running to help. The Greek word for help at the end of this text does not imply passive waiting for someone to come to them. The imagery is that of someone running to rescue, hurrying to help, coming to carry the burden. Paul says Jesus is running to you before you have even uttered the cry.
Jesus said it is time for you to carry your cross. You can cast your cares on Him and He asks that you carry your own cross. Your hands have been freed so that you can be equipped to help. We are called to model our lives after His life and look for how you can be His Hands and Feet in the community. It is no accident that you live where you live. It was not a simple rolling of the dice. God has you right where He wants you and wants to use you where you are. He wants to free you from your cares so that you will be care full of those who carry heavy burdens around you. So cast your cares upon the Lord, but don't be surprised when He carries you to a place where you stand in front of someone else who is holding too many cares of their own.