Cast Your Cares

                             

                                           Cast Your Cares

Psalm 55:22 -- "Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you."

And the same idea is repeated hundreds of years later by the Apostle Peter when he tells us to 'cast your cares on the Lord for He cares for you.'

Peter would have known Psalm 55 very well -- remember the Old Testament was the BIble he read, as well as Jesus, John and Paul and all the other apostles.

God does not take all our troubles away, but He sustains us and gives us the strength and courage to handle all our challenges. 

If we are in a storm, and we pray to Him, He may quiet the storm as He did in Mark 4 when He and His disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.  A fierce storm came up and the "waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped."

Jesus was asleep. The disciples were terrified and woke Him up. "Don't You care if we drown?" they asked Him. He rebuked the wind and stilled the waves. It was completely calm."

He may do this right now for you as you go through your storm.

Or He may just allow the storm to challenge you and give you the strength to face it and walk through it as He did in Matthew 14. That time the disciples were on a boat battling the waves and wind, trying to safely land and pick up Jesus.

It was night. Jesus decided to walk out to them, walking on the lake. When they saw Him they were terrified. "It is a ghost" they said and cried out in fear.

Jesus told them to "Take courage. Don't be afraid. It is I."

Peter said, "Lord if it be You, tell me to come to you on the water."

And Jesus said. "Come."

So he did.

He started out bravely, but got afraid and began to sink. Peter then prayed the shortest prayer in the Bible, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out and caught him.

Peter was present for both of these miracles.

Sometimes Jesus chooses to stop the storm and other times He doesn't -- He chooses to help us get through it. Keeps the storm away from us or walks with us through it. Either way is OK, right?

Not my will, but Your will be done is our prayer.

"Take courage" -- not look for courage...take it...it is here. I am giving it to you!

"Don't be afraid. It is I."