“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7
Prayer is based on a relationship with God, having communion with Him, sharing in His presence. From our surrender to God’s loving lordship, we learn to flow with God’s Spirit in the purpose God has for prayer. Our aim in prayer is to fulfill God’s purpose.
Our relationship with God is based on our dependency on Him. When we want to handle a situation on our own, we take on the care of that situation. We are attempting to be responsible with what we can do; however, if we don’t include God in what we feel responsible for, we are being self-sufficient and controlling. One purpose is prayer is to share responsibility with God, giving up control and allowing Him to care for the things that concern us.
The Amplified version of I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” When you cast your cares on the Lord, you aren’t throwing your concerns aside; you are placing what you care about into the hands of a God you can trust to come through for you. If you have a hard time believing God to actually come through for you, then you need to become more confident in your relationship with Him and learn how to work together with Him in the spirit.
I think some people make the mistake to think that casting their cares on the Lord means that they no longer have a part to play in a given situation. This is simply not true. When we give God our cares, we are giving Him lordship of what concerns us. We let God be in charge and we trust Him, but that doesn’t mean we bow out. God has always chosen to work together with us. We aren’t in charge; God is in charge. We aren’t carrying the burden of care; God is. It’s a control issue, not a responsibility issue. We are still responsible to make ourselves available to obey the Lord in the situation, whether it is to pray, to believe, to declare, to give, or to act. So give your cares to the One who cares about you, and believe Him to make it all right. Let God take the care in your prayer.
Application: The Amplified says to cast the “whole” of your care, “all” of your concerns onto the Lord. Faith gives it all, not just “some” or “most.” When you give God your whole heart, you allow Him to make your heart whole. He also can complete all that concerns you. If you haven’t given Him everything, you are holding His hand back from moving. Give Him the whole of your cares now and see what God will do.