I Don't Have to Care, Because He Does

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

It's amazing how many cares can occupy our lives, take up our time.

For the longest time, I was wrongly convinced that if I was worried about something, I had to do something about it, so that Daddy God would be able to operate in my life.

His presence in my life was tied to what I was thinking and feeling. This bondage was considerable.

It's been ten years now since I learned the fullness of the Gospel of Grace. It has been ten years of learning to see Jesus in the Word, rather than to look for myself or look for little tips on how I need to live my life in my own efforts.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped me to read more of God's Word, focus less on myself and the challenges, temptations, hardships which can so easily beset all of us.

God does not go away because we have cares, fears, and worries.

In fact, God wants us to cast out cares on Him.

Why?

Because He cares for us!

Sadly, throughout the Gospels, we find accounts from the Pharisees and even Jesus' disciples and followers, who were convinced that He did not care about them.

"And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men." (Matthew 22:16)

The religious leaders during Jesus' earthly ministry provoked Him in part by declaring to him (as though to flatter Him initially): "We know that you don't care about anyone."

That is wrong. People under law will inevitably believe wrong, thinking that Daddy God does not care about us, and that we have to care or ourselves!

Yet it wasn't just the religious leaders who doubted whether Jesus cared for other people/

Consider what His disciples shouted at Jesus during the great storm that broke out on the Sea of Galilee:

"And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?" (Mark 4:38)

They misunderstoood Jesus' peaceful sleep on the boat. It's not that Jesus did not care about them. In fact, His perfect peace, sound asleep in the back of the boat, should have served as a signal to the disciples that there was nothing to worry about!

When the Prince of Peace is in your ship, you need not worry about anyone rocking your boat!

How sad it must have been for Jesus, God in the flesh, the Savior of the World, to hear His own disciples say to Him; "Don't you care that we are about to die?!"

Of course He cares! 

And yet, despite their lack of faith, Jesus stilled the storm and ushered in a mega calm. He does't stop caring for you just because you are worrying! That was wrong believing that I struggled with on my part for so long!

And see how Martha treated Jesus when she was so busy with serving, trying to earn His favor and His attention:

"But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me." (Luke 10:40)

Martha rebuked Jesus in front of her own sister--and very likely, others. How awful!

Yet Jesus chided her gently, and reminded her:

"41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

Yes, Martha, He cares for you. You don't have to be careful or troubled about anything. Just do the one thing: Let Jesus care for you.

That invitation holds true for me as much as for anyone else.

If I am worried about something or someone, a potential event or mishap in the future, that is not something that I have to deal with. This is not a life that I am expected to live in my own strength!

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

and

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:4)

I don't have to care, because Jesus is caring for me. Amen!

Do You Esteem Your Woes Greater Than Your Savior?

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

God our Daddy (Romans 8:15) gave up His Son for you and me.

Yet so many of us look at our circumstances, are difficult decisions, our hard times, and even our sins and failures.

We esteem what we have been through or what will face as greater than what Jesus did for us.

Do you really think that God does not care about what you are going through?

Check out how much our loving Father knows about us:

29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10: 29-31)

He knows how many hairs we have on our heads!

Check out how well He keeps close to us, too!

"O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off." (Psalm 139:1-2)

There is nothing that is hidden from His view, and our concerns are very much His concern!

Peter reminds his readers to see our Loving Father as fully invested in caring for us, too!

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Do not think that the concerns you face, or the hardships you are facing, are of no importance to God. Do not think for one second that the challenges before you are too great for your loving Father, either:

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)

How Do We Humble Ourselves Before God?

"6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)

I have heard from many people the importance of standing humbly before God.

What does that mean? How do we humble ourselves?

Do we think badly of ourselves? Do we exploit and manifest our weaknesses?

All of this still brings the attention back to ourselves. How is that humble?

Let's start with a dictionary definition of "humble":

1. having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance.

2. of low social, administrative, or political rank.

The truth is, none of us can claim to have any kind of rank before our Creator:

"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth." (Psalm 103:15)

In fact, Peter uotes this passage in his First Letter:

For, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall," (1 Peter 1:24)

If nothing else, humility is a recognition of the fact that without Him, we are nothing:

"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" (Psalm 8:4)

and

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)

The problem for many Christians, however, is that we have to play up a role of humility. If we understand that we are dead without Him, that apart from Him we have nothing, then there is no reason for us to play up a role or a part.

But specifically, I want to draw from Peter's statement to the church in the verse listed above.

We humble ourselves when we cast all our cares on Him--and we keep casting our cares on God, our loving Father.

The moment that we think we can--or that we must--take care of our cares, that is the height of arrogance.

You want to humble yourself before? Acknowledge that you can do nothing without Him, and let Him handle whatever challenge you are facing:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)

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