A Prayer Practice
I’ve been thinking today about what it means to cast my cares on Jesus and wait for Him to answer prayer. While I pray, I’ve started drawing lines, rounding corners, smoothing out edges, and putting down color. It’s soothing, helps me focus my prayer, and keeps my hands busy while I pray. I prayed 1 Peter 5:7 for various friends today – the drawing in the middle was the result.
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns,
1 Peter 5:7 AMPC
once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
Song Lyric
The song lyric popped into my mind …
… Oh, if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
Scott Wesley Brown
I know my brother that He will carry you
Oh, if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know my sister that He will carry you
Verses
I was also reminded of various scriptures about waiting on the Lord, especially those written by the Psalmist-
- Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord (Ps. 27:14)
- Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes (Ps. 37:7)
- You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress (Ps. 59:9)
- I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him (Ps. 62:1)
- Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him (Ps. 62:5)
- I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word (Ps. 119:81)
The So What
As I prayed I thought about what it means to cast our cares on Him. The first idea that came to mind was gratitude. It’s easy for me to be grateful – I lack for nothing. Others are struggling, emotionally, financially, relationally, or spiritually. It seems counterintuitive to express gratitude in difficulty, yet that’s the picture in scripture: in everything, give thanks.
The second thought that came to mind was about trust, believing God is good, and that He is at work on our behalf. I love The Voice translation of the familiar verse …
We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.
Romans 8:28
My husband and I often quote Psalm 16:6 (EXB), “My share in life has been pleasant [The boundary lines fall for me in pleasant places]; my part [inheritance] has been beautiful.” But I sometimes imagine the story of Job, having wealth, family, health, and reputation – and then having none of it. Casting my cares on Jesus would look differently then than it does now. I pray that in this season of plenty, I will rehearse gratefulness, God’s goodness, and develop my faith so that if and when the storms of life come, they will be habits.
Prayer
Father, You who carries our burdens,
Who knows the tiniest details of our struggles,
And who desires to lift up our heads,
Refresh, revive, retrain our hearts, minds
That praise might come easily to our mouths
Resonating with the deep joy that only
Full and complete trust in You can produce.
Help us today to cast our cares on You
For you truly care for us.
Amen.
