Where to Cast Your Care
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”
Matthew 6:31 RSV
Has God left us alone to cope with the trials, tribulations, and temptations of life? I’m glad He has not! Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, has told us in specific terms just what we are to do about worry. The Bible offers a workable formula for care and anxiety.
What are we to do about these past, present, and future worries? The Bible says that we are to cast them upon Him. Our guilty pasts, our anxious presents, and the unknown future are all to be cast upon Christ. All of man’s burdens and anxieties are wrapped up in these three words: past, present, and future. For the guilt of the past, God says: “I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah 44:2). “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:1). “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
For the present Christ says: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). If the Burden Bearer is with us, then why should we be crushed by our burdens? The French translation of this phrase, “Cast all your care upon Him” is “Unload your distresses upon God.” Have you ever seen a dump truck get rid of its load? It would be of no use if it carried its burden forever. The driver simply pushes a button or pulls on a lever and the heavy load is discharged at the prescribed spot.
We were never meant to be crushed under the weight of care. We push the button of faith or pull the lever of trust, and our burden is discharged upon the shoulder of Him who said He would gladly bear it. Cast the anxious present upon Him, for He cares for you—says the Bible. The worries of the future are obliterated by His promises. “Take therefore no thought for the morrow. . . . But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:34, 33). This promise, if we obey it, takes all the aimlessness out of life and puts purpose into it. It brings all life into balance, and earth’s hours become so joyous that they blend into the glory of eternity. Boredom, fretfulness, and anxiety are lost in the wonder of His wonderful grace.
Our Father and our God, I know You control my past, my present, and my future. I commit my past failures to You; I give You all my present worries and frustrations; and I dedicate my future to You, knowing that You alone can guide me safely home, through Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).