He Really Does Want Them All

1 Pet 5:7

Two artists were commissioned with painting pictures of the ideal life at rest. Still pool of crystal clear water, nestled deep in a forest glade.

A one hundred foot waterfall. The water crashing onto the rocks below, a fog of mist envelopes the bottom. On the side of the cliff a great oak tree stands, with a huge branch hanging out over the falls, and in the branch a fork, and in the fork a nest, and in the nest a mother bird quietly brooding over her young. Which of those seems more like reality? We are going to have troubles, but we can have peace amidst them.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved When I was studying where we may be next in I Peter, I saw this text and began to toy with some catchy titles. One that I came up with was ,”You’ll need to cast some cares before you will cast your crowns.” Some of us are guilty of being caught up with our eternity in glory that we tend to neglect some of the Christian duties here on the earth. Before you can even think about applying verse 7, you will have to put verses 5-6 into practice. A proud heart will not release its cares. When you come to verse 7, you have to see that our great omnipotent God knows that we have cares. I really think we could exhaust the evening and just ask people to begin to list their cares. As someone mentions something, it would spark a reminder in another’s heart, and I really believe it could go on for hours. If we could get a basic list of the cares in the room tonight, I am fairly confident that they would fall into one of three categories. I want to quickly show you these in the Scriptures, and then get down to the business of casting our cares, because God really does want them all.

Cares of this life.

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Matthew 6:25-32

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

These cares come from being alive. Repairs, bills, health, education woes.

These cares are built upon as the Apostle Paul tries to lay down an argument for remaining single.

1 Corinthians 7:32-33 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.

Here is the admonition, when you get married, your cares will multiply. Then you add children into the mix, it seems like there is an exponential increase in the matter of cares.

Please understand that everyone has the potential of having these cares. Does not matter if you are as lost as a goose, or if you claim royalty by being a child of the King.

There is one more category that I want to show to you.

2 Corinthians 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

It seems that there is this daily burden of the care of the churches. I do not think you have to be in the ministry to understand this. But you add the daily grind of pasturing, preaching, teaching, counseling, working, etc. And you can see how the cares for a believer can outweigh the cares of the unbeliever. But we have something, or better yet, someone who we can daily give our cares to. As you read through the Scriptures, and as you live the Christian life, sooner or later you will come to the realization that God does not promise to eliminate our cares. God commands us to cast them upon Him, but they are still my responsibility. If we can get our minds around this thought, it will help us to better understand the Word of God n the idea of casting. We bear the responsibility, but God bears the weight.

I want to take you to a familiar passage of the Bible to get an idea of what this casting cares is all about.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Be careful.

For Nothing.

But in Everything.

Prayer. Supplication. Thanksgiving. Request. I wonder how many of you are like me and often jump right into the requesting phase without even giving thought to the other three. I have found that God puts things in order, that is usually purpose behind it. And if there is a divine purpose, a divine promise generally follows. The peace of God….

Prayer—get quiet. Instead of being quiet and praying we end up wrestling with tryingh to figure a way out.

Supplicant—beggar. O God!

Thanksgiving—count you blessings. Job 23:144 For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me… God has a plan for our life, and that thing He has for us is for our benefit and betterment, that we will one day come forth as gold.

Then let your requests be made known to God. Consider this with our own children. When are we more likely to give them something? When they are being quiet, settled, grateful, and with a humble spirit. Or when they are complaining, fidgeting, and continually finding fault?

Now you are ready to make a request, and you might find another divine promise to be real in your life.

Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

God really does want them all.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

George Truett.