“Cast your anxieties on Abba—drop them, leave them, or have them willingly pried from your hand and heart. Because Abba cares for you like no one else—give him your cares, backpack of burdens, and/or truck load of worries.” (1Peter 5:7-ish)
Heavenly Father, the best part of this much-loved verse are these four words, “he cares for you.” How do you care for us? In a 300-word prayer I can only mention a few of the priceless ways you love and care for us.
On the cusp of celebrating Easter, I’ll start with your gift of Jesus to us and for us. There is no greater expression of your care for us than the Gospel—Jesus, himself. You gave us our first birth and our new birth—canceling our sin, not us. You declare us both righteous in Christ and beloved in your family. You have numbered our hairs, sorrows, and days. You know our fears, bottle our tears, and will wipe each of them on the perfect Day. No one cares for us like you, Abba.
But care-casting is complicated. Some cares feel “Gorilla-glued” to our hands and stories—we don’t know how to let go of them. Some feel like boomerangs—they keep coming back. If we can’t or won’t cast them, please grab, rip, or steal them from our foolish grip. Here’s a few “cares” we need to recognize and surrender to you:
- The burden of assuming responsibility for anybody’s health, happiness, and holiness.
- Life in a world that feels more scary and random right now than controlled by your heart and hand.
- The vulnerability of transitions—those we planned for and those we didn’t see coming.
- The emotions and changes that come with aging—our own aging, and the aging journey of our loved ones.
Abba, we know care-casting isn’t the same as shirking responsibility, entering denial, or running away. It’s to be honest about our limits, thankful for your limitlessness, and cast our whole self on you. We do all 3 right now… So Very Amen.
