Cares
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”
Cares…what are they?
We think of anxieties or troubles….and certainly, they can be….but,…
….here, they are distractions….things which, even for a little while, take our concentration off of the Lord’s Will for us.
The Lord has been teaching me for a while, to really focus on Him….in every situation.
I can get easily distracted from my purpose….when something unexpected comes up!
And I have been learning that the first thing to do, when that happens….is to give it to the Lord.
He is not taken by surprise….He knows what to do….even when I begin to run about in my head trying to “take care” of the situation.
Therefore, it is my peace….to give it to Him…and do as He says, even in chaos.
(My husband and I were going to visit a pastor in the wintertime, several years ago. The road seemed clear, as we entered the interstate….but it was deceptive, for black ice…that thin coat of very slippery ice, was all over the road.
We drove on, and everything seemed fine, till someone braked ahead of us, and I went to slow down….and wow, what a ride we had! Back and forth from one lane to another….and finally in the ditch! Others, too, were having the same trouble….and although we were fairly close….no one hit another!
The object of the this story….is my peace. At first, I was in a panic….thinking about the other cars, and how to get out of this,…what would happen…and all the thoughts came at once!
And then….the Lord’s peace and voice told me what to do.
We were not injured and the car was not hurt. A tow truck came by about five minutes later…pulled over and offered to help us out!)
Life in this world is full of distractions…where our eyes, or thoughts become clogged with other things….that seem to need our attention…now!
But the Lord is here with us. “He careth for you.”
(I love the fact that it is in the personal pronoun. The Lord cares for me….so I can safely place my cares…distractions….onto Him, and He will deal with them,… and me.)
He is still Light, when we let a shadow of trouble darken our outlook. Let us immediately look to Him.
And here is the reason, Peter says, that we should cast our care upon the Lord:
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
Our adversary, the devil, is always on the lookout for Christians that are troubled, worried, and distracted.
And he adds a suggestion….or a fear…for that is what the roaring of a lion does…it strikes fear into the heart of it’s prey,…and causes weakness.
“But resist steadfast in the faith.”
Stand and stay with the Lord. Cast your care…whatever it is…on to the Lord, immediately.
Be still and wait for Him to show you what to do.
…”knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
We are all in the warfare…and all have surprises that come up.
And here is the amazing thing about this:
God knows my situation….and He knows the situation of each of His believers.
God has peace and direction for me….and He has the same for all who will turn their eyes toward Him.
“Casting all your care upon Him”
Casting….get rid of it right away. Totally give it to Christ Jesus.
“For He careth for you.” This “careth” is a verb…and action word. He is interested in everything that comes to me,…to you. He careth…does something about it….for me…for you
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 