“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection and watches over you very carefully].” 1 Peter 5:6-8

We’ve been spending a lot of time fishing lately. I love fishing but haven’t done it in years. My son has been teaching me the importance of casting my line. Casting well requires a bit of finesse, but mostly it requires letting go at just the right time. I’ve been reflecting on how casting our cares on the Lord requires much of the same, and, like learning to fish, casting them on Him with confidence can take a little practice and time.

There’s an art to casting. To do it well requires trust that He’s able to handle our fragile hearts. It involves time both crying out to the Lord and sitting quietly before Him. Casting our cares on Him asks us to release our sense of control into His capable hands. Mostly though, casting well requires that we leave behind what we give to Jesus. We must resist the urge to “hurl” our cares at His feet only to come back to coddle them later.

The art of casting requires us to be diligent to take our thoughts captive. Our Father God tells us not to worry, fear, or toil, or be anxious for anything. We can trust Him to care for those things we care for with a simple prayer from the Psalms, “Lord, help!” Today, call on Him, hand your cares to Him, trust Him, then rest in Him. Jesus is always your best-case scenario. Give praise for His great love and wonderful deeds; And cast your cares on Him today!