Casting Deep Cares
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22
I cleaned out our cellar this week. Cellars are dug beneath the living levels of the house and are places to store things, preferably things that will not be damaged by the dampness. To get them clean requires to get down into the dirty corners, to shine some light into dark crevices, to sweep, to dust, and sometimes to scrub. And then to throw it all away.
Casting our cares on the Lord requires similar diligence, and quite often it is even messier and more unpleasant than cleaning cellars. Our concerns, our fears, the things that rob us of sleep and inner peace are often hidden in the darkened thoughts of our hearts and they stubbornly cling to the darkness of doubts and painful disappointments of life. We find it easier to say a light polite and pious prayer that skips over the crud in the cellars of our souls, but then, when we do, we go right back to worrying and fearing.
To cast our cares on the Lord requires that we lay hold of the cares first, that we grasp them firmly. This means reflection, consideration, looking within, asking ourselves why we are so afraid, or so angry, or so agitated. Do these present concerns have a deeper cause? Do they rise not only from the situation on hand, but do they come also from our hearts and from our past when we were hurt, or embarrassed, or perhaps even when we failed?
When we put them forth before the Lord, we find that He sustains us. There is no hidden secret, no dark scar, no concealed shame that the grace of God cannot forgive, that the grace of God cannot carry us through, remove from our hearts, and heal us from.
Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for your magnificent grace that lifts and empowers. Amen.