It Is Possible!

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,

 that He may exalt you in due time,

 casting all your care upon Him,

 for He cares for you.”   (I Peter 5:6-7 NKJV)

Do you really think that Peter meant what he said when he encouraged his readers to “cast ALL your care(s) upon Him”?  Was he of sober mind and spirit, or was he experiencing a moment of spiritual ecstasy as he penned this letter without realizing that it could never stand up against the actual realities and rigors of the natural life?  Vincent’s Word Studies explains the actual Greek as “The whole of your care” and clarifies it even further by explaining, “Not every anxiety as it arises, for none will arise if this transference has been effectually made.”

That look into the actual Greek inference seems to indicate that Peter meant exactly what he said!  It is possible!  A quick search for other references in both the Old and New testaments will find Peter’s declaration to be backed up by David, Paul, the writer of Hebrews and Jesus Himself.  Therefore it stands on pretty solid ground that it is possible to cast or turn ALL of your cares over to God.

The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary gives us a little hint concerning the casting of all our cares or anxieties on God by saying “The advantage flowing from humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God is (the) confident reliance on His goodness.  Exemption from care goes along with humble submission to God.”

So the big key to successfully accomplish what Peter is saying is by humbling ourselves, and actively dismiss what our mind or the world or others who may be close to us are shouting out to us, and throwing all our confidence, trust and expectations into God’s loving arms!  Humm… sounds simple right?  Well, not really. This adventure in faith is probably is one of the hardest endeavors that you may ever attempt in this life, but the rewards are worth all the effort!

I have my times when to trust in the Lord for some difficult things in my life is easy, but then there are the times when I really have to fight the good fight of faith.  Many parts of the battle for my wife’s health have been tough for me to relinquish the concern to Him, but the further we go, the easier it gets.  The nights in sleepless anxiety or the threats of the thought of a future without her are very far and in-between now.  It’s interesting that the further she has progressed in the natural symptoms of AD, the easier it has been to trust in the Lord and the truth of His Word! 

The hardest part has been responding to the reactions of others.  Dealing with those who have helped us in the medical profession has been relatively easy because I expect a certain response and am ready for it.  I have received countless encouraging comments from the various Doctors, nurses, technicians, Nurse Practitioners and others that we have worked with on the quality of care that I give to my wife and the positive atmosphere that I have established around her and the situation that we are facing. 

The harder times have been in facing family members, fellow Christians and some friends who surprise me when they react with a sense of despair or hopelessness.  It gets even worse when they confuse my confidence in the Lord with what they think is a lack of concern for the reality of my wife’s situation and then respond in anger and criticism.

“Casting ALL your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  So the placing of ALL your anxiety and or care upon Him includes not only the situation you are facing, but also for the care of those who don’t agree with you.  For me, that has been the hard part, but not impossible!  God is a big God and He is able to carry the whole of our care, so that we don’t have to carry any of it, anymore… no matter what anyone else says or thinks!  Now don’t get me wrong.  That statement does not give you the freedom from being responsible, it just relieves you from the pressure and pain of carrying the care.  It means that you do your part in the natural and let God do the rest… knowing that He will be faithful to you as He is faithful to His Word.

Peter therefore makes it very clear that our heavenly Father not only cares and takes an intimate interest in you, but that He also desires for you to cast or turn every big as well as every little anxiety or care upon Him… once and for all!  So don’t hold back.  Don’t hold on to them anymore.  Stop right now, turn your eyes upward and say “Jesus unto you I cast the whole of my cares, every single one of them now and all of the ones to come.”  If necessary take a moment and write down on a piece of paper every care that you can think of.  Then crinkle up the paper into a ball, repeat the above profession of your faith and throw the paper away from you.  Then burn it, and or toss it in the garbage and NEVER pick it or any new care up again!

Ah…. Feels good doesn’t it!  Have a great new free day today!  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”