1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (NIV)"You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern." (Phillips)
God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him." (CEV)
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. [Ps. 55:22] (AMP)
Reading this verse immediately brought to mind the words from a song:
"Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
He is our peace, He is our peace." (by Kandela Groves)
Casting our cares----We can give it all to God and trust him with all the baggage we carry around. We often think we have done this, but if we look closely the cares and anxieties are still lurking just below the surface of our trust. We can't quite let go. Worry is our way of life.
Two things in the AMP translation stood out to me: "once and for all" and "watchfully". We have to leave these things in God's hands for all time, not just a few moments while we pray. When our prayer is finished we can't pick the burdens back up and take them with us.. If we truly trust God to deal with them in his power, his authority, his omnipotence and omniscience, his love and faithfulness, we also have to leave them to his timing. And then walk away empty handed, but expectant of God's handling the situation.
That is easier said than done. Our minds work on a human level that thinks we have to "help" God control the situation. We think that we should "do something " while we wait for God, and we assume he expects that of us. Does he?
If we cast something away, we are no longer controlling it---it is no longer in our possession. The AMP says that God cares for us affectionately and watchfully. He doesn't just feel compassion and love for us, he is also always alert to our cries for help and he never lets us go or leaves us alone or uncared for. We need to rely on his permanent care and concern. He is watching when we are not able. He is active when we have ceased to know what to do. He has it all under control.
Thank you, Lord, for your affection and your watchfulness in the face of all the cares we leave with you. Give me greater trust to leave my cares with you and walk away from them knowing they are in good hands. "He is our peace!"
