“I keep putting it down and then picking it up.” “Difficult not to keep a rope tied to the anxieties after throwing them!” These are comments I keep hearing from people I know. Anxiety seems to be a plague among us. I know I have struggles with it. I know it’s a disease that will need to continually be fought in different ways and seasons. My mom mentioned today how she’d read that 95% of the things we fear or worry about wont actually happen.
The scriptures state in Psalms 55:22 to “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Then again in 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (Emphasis added) If you’re a Christian you’ve probably heard these verses so many times you just now skimmed them. I know I’ve done that.
In this passage in Psalms the Hebrew word for cast means to throw, hurl, or fling. That’s pretty intense terminology. It shows that we can commit to God’s care our worries and anxieties. When we look at the verse in 1 Peter the Greek echos the same thought. We are literally called to “Give up to God” our anxieties. And not just one of them….he takes it a step further… he wants you to give him all your anxieties.
So here’s what I realized. I need less fishing casting in my life and more shot put casting. If we are casting our cares in the same way we would fish we just reel them back in but if we cast our cares upon the Lord, like someone shot putting, we literally fling it as far away from us as we possibly can and leave it there.
Why waste so much time worrying and being anxious over things that aren’t even likely to happen? We can give up this anxious toil because God cares for us and promises to sustain us though whatever happens. News flash: we aren’t God and we don’t have to carry this burden.
So if we are going to take something away (anxiety) what are we going to replace it with? It’s simple and profound but I think a lot of it comes down to three words: thanksgiving, prayer, and praise. This doesn’t mean we have to be happy all the time! It does mean we can turn our thoughts toward the promises and comfort of the scriptures and give thanks for what God has done and what he will do. It means praying without ceasing simply as a continual conversation with God. It means we aren’t hopeless or helpless. While that shot put stone may be heavy for me it weighs nothing to God. He can carry it…it doesn’t have to pull you down anymore.
Hmmm.. shot putting as compared to casting the fishing fly. Good comparison. Maybe, to help in truly letting go, more like walking to the middle high span of the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River and shot-putting the cares/anxieties over the rail……..
Last week I was with some folks and we were examing the passage about being careful (full of care or ansixety) for nothing.. for HE cares for you. That along with the parable or simile Jesus gave His disciples when He talked of the sparrows…. which are sold two a penny and yet our Father feeds them faithfully. I believe it comes down to WHO is sovereign. If me, then all my caring, scheming, pondering, withful thinking would solve it all. We all know that’s not the case. Thus the antithesis to that scenario must be accurete: that I am not sovereign and He is. Thus, sincce I am not my caring is powerless. Mental assent to tht proposition is easy. To live it out, now, THAT is another matter.
Thank you for the bit on “casting”…. it helps to set the tone of this passage, and thus its clar command to action; viigourous and definitive action.
I love that passage about the sparrows. And yes, to live it out is certainly the challenging part!!
Awwww….pictures from this day make me happy. Glad to be the pale white legs beside you in the canoe of life. <3
That was *such* a good day! 🙂 Glad you were there too!