Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 55:22

Life is filled with concerns; some small and some big.  God cares about them all.   It can be tempting to try and tackle these concerns on your own, and there are those who have tried, but you will always come up short.  God, who cares for the birds of the air, that neither sow, or reap or stow in barns (Matthew 6: 25-26), cares even more about you.  God cares so deeply about you that he has even numbered the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30).  That’s how important you are to him.  He alone, is the burden lifter, the worry destroyer, and the care bearer.

The Psalmist says therefore, “Cast your cares on the LORD….”  In other words, whatever you are up against in life, “hurl it, or throw it all on the LORD.”  Your mind will battle for control, and will tell you to deal with it yourself.  However, the only way God can deal with your situation is for you to relinquish it completely to him.  Do your part, and let the LORD do his part.  It is only when there is no earthly interference, that your Father will send heavenly influence on your situation.

In the Bible, we find others who dealt with their concerns big and small by hurling it all on the LORD.  When Moses and the Children of Israel came face to face with a great body of water and had no place to run, and were completely at the enemy’s mercy, they looked up to heaven, and God parted the waters, making a way for them, where there seemed to be no way.  If you have reached the end of your rope, and feel like there is no way out, look up to the LORD that’s where your help will come from (Psalm 121:1).

In another case, we encounter Elijah in the desert, fleeing for his life, discouraged and defeated because Jezebel was out to kill him (I Kings 19).  But even there in the driest of places, God found him, nourished and nurtured him, and set him back on his feet.  At the point of complete surrender, when Elijah could do nothing more and just wanted to die, God took over.  Elijah cried out to heaven and help arrived just when he needed it.

Beloved, whether you feel like you are drowning under a mountain of concerns or you are exhausted, and dried out from anxiety, fear and stress, cast your burdens on the LORD and let him refresh you.  The Psalmist states, the LORD will sustain you, (keep you going, nurture you, nourish you) because he will never let the righteous be shaken.  The LORD is your burden bearer, so take your hands off the concerns you are carrying, so he can enter your life and do only what he is able to do.

LORD, in the words of the songwriter, Kelly Willard, I pray, “I cast all my cares upon you; I lay all of my burdens down at your feet.  And any time, I don’t know just what to do, I will cast all my cares upon you.”  Thank you for sustaining me.  I know you will never let me be shaken.  Amen.