EXHORTATION
1 Pet 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Ps 55:22 (AMP) Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).
To cast your cares means to literarily pour out your soul unto the Lord.
1 Sam 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And [Hannah] was in distress of soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly….15-16 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
It means to pray like Hannah in the story above, she poured out her soul to the Lord. It means speaking to the Lord about the trouble or pain you are in and speaking it out in a manner to show that you are aware of His love for you.
It’s not the same as complaining before the Lord which is casting aspersions on God’s faithfulness. In casting your cares, you speak to the Lord about your pain and leave it there trusting Him to handle it.
Hannah rose up after a session with God and her countenance was no more sad.
Hezekiah also cast his cares as he called upon God for help. 2 Kings 20:2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,
Casting your cares means you are calling upon the Lord for help. It’s a heart cry to God for help. You are saying to the Lord that you trust Him alone.
It’s similar to the situation of the persistent widow who came to the realization that it was only the judge that could help her and avenge her of her adversary. In casting your cares, you have no other alternative. God is the basket and you have put all your eggs in that one basket!
God knows the intentions of the heart, but when we are in a pit, our hearts need to physically cry out for help. We need to speak truth to our minds and get gut-honest with our Heavenly Father.
Check out these passages as the writer cries out from the deepest place in their heart.
“Oh God, hasten to deliver me; O LORD, hasten to my help! Let those be ashamed and humiliated who seek my life; Let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.” Psalm 70:1-2
“Save me, Oh God, for the waters have threatened my life. I have sunk in deep mire and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters and a flood overflows me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.” Psalm 69:1-3
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress any my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. ” Psalm 18: 1-3
These cries came from the deepest place where their burdens were all stored up. They named them. They got specific and got down to business with God on a heart level. We need to do that as well! Write it out-speak it, cry it, shout it-do whatever it takes but SAY IT. Is your marriage in shambles? Speak it!! “God, this relationship is dying because my husband is addicted to pornography! I am so angry and hurt and I don’t know what to do–”
Do you have a bad doctor’s report? Have you been termed barren? Whatever the condition is, get real with God as you cry out to Him for help. Let the voice of your soul be heard as you cry to God.
There is just something about falling on God’s grace and resting in our weakness to find His strength. It is so safe.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
SAY IT until you are out of words, until you are out of tears, until you see the end of you, and the beginning of Him. The power of crying out to God unlocks the doors of heaven and opens your eyes to see God moving on your behalf.
Once you’re done, you can begin to pray in the Holy Ghost, sometimes it’s a mix of speaking in other tongues and in your understanding. You may cry, you may sing or you may simply groan in pain before the Lord. Or you can find a Psalm that speaks about how you feel and say it to God like the Psalmist did.
The truth is there’s no stone cast way of doing this, as long as your soul cries to God. Hannah didn’t pray in the usual way but God heard the voice of her cry. Hezekiah’s prayer was not the conventional type, yet he got Gods attention.
Phil 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. All such prayers must always end in thanksgiving. It’s in the process of worship and thanksgiving that the peace of God fills your soul.
Hannah probably entered this realm of thanksgiving and this explains why her countenance was no more sad after she had poured out her soul unto God. She went in bitter but came out with a song.
That will be your testimony as you cast your cares upon the Lord in prayer today in Jesus name.
Ps 34:6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. It doesn’t matter who the man is but he realized his state of poverty and out of this state, he cried.
Ps 40:17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
Are you ready to cast all your anxieties upon Him today? And not to take them up again after the prayer session?
Once we are done, we will sing songs of worship that magnify the name of the Lord. One thing about burdens is that they make us self-centered. It’s all about our problems, our situation, our feelings, etc. Worship takes our eyes off of all of our messes and fixes our eyes on the awesomeness of our God!
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24
SONGS: I will cast all my cares upon you (Kelly Willard; My heart will Trust (Oasis Worship); My help cometh from the Lord (Peace Together Choir)
PRAYER: CASTING ALL MY CARES UPON THE LORD
Say the words of this prayer and then proceed to pour out your soul unto the Lord:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love for me
Your love for me is so deep that not a strand of my hair falls to the ground without your knowledge
Lord, I turn to you poor and broken
I know your ears are inclined in mercy to the cry of this poor man
I come to your throne of grace today to obtain mercy and find grace to help me in my time of need
So much in my life is broken.
I have so many concerns and cares, and they weigh me down.
While I desire to cast my cares upon You, I find I usually pick them back up again, and they only add more anxiety and stress. Please help me learn to cast my cares on You as I learn what it means to rest and trust in You.
As I wait in your presence, I pour out my soul unto you Lord
I lay them all down at your feet
And I rise from prayer totally free from the burden of this care and anxiety in Jesus’ name.
Holy Spirit, I ask that you will help me to express my pain to the Lord even as I continue in prayer right now in Jesus’ name
Lord, let my cry come unto thee as I pray in Jesus’ name
VERSE FOR THE DAY: 1 Pet 5:7 (AMPC) Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully
