Cast Your Cares on Jesus Again

By Teri

It was my first day back to work after spending 26 days at my husband’s hospital bedside. The doctor’s prognosis? He would likely never walk again. My only comfort was that the three walls of my cubicle allowed me to hide my tears. My husband was the responsible one in our marriage, always filling my car with gas when I left it on empty and tying up loose ends I’d left undone. How would I pick up the slack and provide him emotional support when I was such a wreck? A co-worker shared I Peter 5:7, “Cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you.” I protested, “God, I did cast my cares upon you, and nothing has changed!” As the tears continued, I found myself lost in a memory…

On the shore of my favorite fishing pond, I cast my line with intention. I did this as many times as necessary to get my baited hook on target. Though the surface waters were as glass, it was only a matter of time before the unseen currents below pulled my line from where I had cast, and so, I cast again. Then a stiff breeze moved across the waters, making more frequent casting necessary, and without question or complaint, I would simply cast again, accepting this as part of the process.

Brought back from my daydream, I heard Jesus whispering, “Cast your cares again.”

I love that Peter, a fisherman, used the word cast, a term still used by fishermen today. Peter knew that as a fisherman, the casting was a continual process and used this analogy to help us understand that casting our cares upon Jesus is very much the same. It’s a continual act that directly reflects not a lack of faith but faith in the One who is faithful. The need for continual casting is simply part of the process and a reminder that we are weak and inadequate and in desperate need of a Savior in our humanity.

Again, I set my sites on the exact spot I wanted my cares to land, right into the arms of Jesus, and I cast them, again and again, and again. Within moments my tears had stopped, and I began to feel the overwhelming ‘peace that passes all understanding’ spoken of in Philippians 4:7. Was this the end of my cares? No, it wasn’t, but it was the beginning of learning to cast continually, trusting that my Heavenly Father truly does care for me. Throughout that day and many days to follow, the storm continued to blow in new cares. But now, without question or complaint, I simply reel in the thoughts and cast, again and again, accepting this as part of the process. “Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7