What does it mean to cast all your cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7)?

We know that the believers to whom Peter was writing were suffering. The word suffering is used in connection with them ten times in the epistle1 and because of these many trials they were in heaviness and distress (1 Peter 1:6). In chapter four we read of the fire of persecution that had come upon them (1 Peter 4:12). They were being persecuted by their Jewish brethren according to the flesh and by the unbelieving Gentiles. They were being persecuted by the power of Rome and it would seem from 1 Peter 2:18-20 that some were being persecuted by harsh and unreasonable employers. We can understand, therefore, how many cares they would be carrying. The first word for care in 1 Peter 5:7 signifies anxious, distracting, care. In his “Expository Dictionary of Bible Words” W.E.Vine says that it is probably connected with a word that means to draw in different directions. Who has not known something of this kind of care, this kind of anxiety? It is care that robs of quietness and sleep. The divine direction is that this care, not in part but the whole, is to be cast upon God. The reason for our doing so is then given “..for He careth for you” and here a different word for care is used. This is care of forethought and interest. It is demonstrated throughout the epistle and a consideration of some of the references to God will show this.

Peter proceeds to say, "For God resisteth the proud." The love of God for His own neither ceases nor wanes — but if we are to know the nearness and blessedness of His solicitude and care, the feature of humility must of necessity displace that of natural pride, for "He looketh upon the lowly, and the proud He knoweth afar off" (Psalm 138:6). The apostle exhorts us to humble ourselves "under the mighty hand of God." The word "mighty" implies not only power and strength but also dominion; the name EL (the mighty One) occurs some 250 times in Scripture, and there are many references to the might of His hand. The beautiful words of Isaiah 40 shew us something of its majesty and power — "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out the heavens with a span, and grasped the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in scales." Men at tremendous cost and labour and risk penetrate into the fringe of outer space — but God covers the whole of the heavens with the span of His hand; and the seas with all their power and vastness are held in the hollow of that same mighty hand. But, beloved brethren, that hand of power is the hand of love — "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom." Well might this precious chapter commence "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God." The whole chapter should be read. From the powerful, loving hand of the Father (and that also of Christ Himself) no power can wrest any one of His flock! Jehovah Himself, the Lord Almighty, is to be known as Father, all the love and care which that relationship involves is made available to every individual saint (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

"Casting (or, having cast) all your care (every anxiety) upon Him." The word "casting" is an emphatic word — it really means "to fling" — to entirely part company with — and is so used in Luke 19:35, where the people cast their garments upon the colt, letting them completely go!

And the way to cast all our care upon Him, so that we are anxious for nothing, is told us in this lovely verse in Philippians: "In every thing, by your prayer and by your supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God". Sometimes the load of care seems too heavy to cast it anywhere. Then the Lord invites us to "roll thy way upon the Lord" (Ps. 37:5: Margin). When we were children in Canada, in the winter, we would make great snowballs; and when they got too heavy to lift, we still could roll them. So roll that great load of care on Him, "because it is a matter of care to Him, concerning you," as the Greek so sweetly puts it. And in the Greek Testament two different words are used here for care. The one is "anxious, harassing care:" the other is God's loving "providential care" over us.*

That soldier of Jesus Christ, of whom I have just spoken, had learned to travel with a very light pack, and perhaps that was the reason that she (for she was a lady-soldier) was able to bear more of the burdens of her sisters and brothers than any other person I ever knew. If we have filled up our own private load that we have to bear for ourselves with all sorts of things of our own, then we cannot expect to bear one another's burdens. We spoke of some burdens from which we are set free — our sins and the law — but there is another burden that is never meant for the shoulders of a Christian, and that is the heavy, heavy burden of anxiety. The Lord says: "Be anxious for nothing; but in everything 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." Phil. 4:6-7. He tells us also what to do with anxiety when it comes, as it so often does, trying to take possession of our hearts: "Casting all your anxiety upon Him, for it matters to Him about you." 1 Peter 5:7. But the word for "casting" here, is not the ordinary word to throw or cast or put; it means to hurl it away, as something we do not want to have anything to do with. It is the word used for the thirty pieces of silver, that became so terrible to Judas that he hurled them back to the chief priests into the inner temple. The Lord invites us to hurl our anxiety upon Him, for it matters to Him about us. If we fill up our pack with anxiety, we will never have any strength left to bear the burdens of one another. Christ is the great Burden Bearer: our sins, our griefs, our sorrows, our anxieties, our every burden, we may cast on Him. May we then learn from Him to make a habit of on the one hand ever bearing one an-other's burdens, and on the other hand, to always bear my own load. In Heb. 10:35 we are told of something we are not to "cast away" (a different word) and that is "our confidence, which hath great recompense of reward." Another has remarked, that too often "we cast away our confidence, and carry all our care."

But of another privilege the apostle here reminds us in connection with being humbled now and waiting for His glory in the day of Christ. He says, "having cast all your care on him, because he careth for you." He assumes this relegation, in faith, of our every anxiety on our God and Father, who loves to bear burdens too great for His weak ones, for whom He has joys and service which demand freedom of spirit for their right aim and end. How enfeebling is the unbelief that fancies it our duty to be weighed down outwardly and inwardly! Why, Christian, have you not rolled upon Him the weight that oppresses you? Is not His word to us plain and certain? Does He not care for you — He that gave His Son for your sins, He that numbers all the hairs of your head?

“Be careful for nothing.” That does not mean careless about anything; but knowing God as your Father, who cares about the smallest details of your everyday life, you can afford to leave the cares and troubles, and thus your heart has the peace of God in place of the carking care. Peter says, “Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Many bring their cares to God in prayer, but receive little or no benefit, because they carry them away again instead of leaving them in His presence.

(1 Peter 5:7,) "Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you." Oh, what a comfort for the heart, what a rest for the soul in all the ups and downs and vicissitudes of this life, to know He cares for you! Then why should you trouble? Is it worth while for two to be caring for the same thing? If you are caring you take it out of His hands: if He is caring you can afford to be without care, to roll yourself into your Father's arms, and to rest there without fear or care. When you learn the perfectness of His care for you, then you are left free to care for His things and His interests, because He is taking care of yours.

The proud man will ever find that, in the governmental ways of God, he is opposed, for God resists the proud. In taking a low place the humble will find that they have the support of the grace of God. The flesh loves to assert itself and seek a prominent place. If, however, we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He will exalt us in due season.

(V. 7). In the Christian circle God would have us free of care. This can only be as we cast all our care upon Him in the blessed consciousness that He cares for us. We, alas, may fail in our shepherd care of one another, but the compassions of God will not fail; “they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). If the under shepherds fail, and the sheep feel they are neglected, let each take comfort from this word, “He cares for you”.

Humility is to be the right clothing for the saints of God. "They are to gird themselves with humility in this way, humility being that which will keep everything rightly adjusted, as the girdle the robe, and which would thus enable for such activity as all are called to; for humility is a grand help against discouragement by the difficulties of the way, and necessarily against all that would search out any remnant of pride in us" (F.W. Grant). Self-exaltation is the very essence of sin. God cannot tolerate it in His people. The example of Christ, who made of Himself no reputation, forbids it. God resisteth therefore always and in every way the proud, while He giveth grace to the humble. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." How little these great exhortations are considered in our times! Even among those who have the truth and believe in the revelation of God, while there is much increase in knowledge, there is little evidence of true humility. Humility will never leave us ashamed. We do not need to exalt ourselves; the Lord will do it for us.

Then there is the sweet comfort: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." All means all--all cares, whatever they are; all burdens, all anxieties we can roll upon Him, with the perfect assurance that He does care. Alas! our anxieties, our heavy feelings, our worry and our hurry, all speak the same language of unbelief. "Lord, dost Thou not care?" Well, it is if we look upon all burdens He permits to be laid upon us, as tokens of His love, by which we may learn His faithfulness afresh. Instead of murmuring then, we should sing and rejoice, being anxious for nothing, knowing He carries us and our burdens and cares as we can never do.

What are we in comparison to the mighty hand of God? Under that hand we should be thankful to utterly humble ourselves: it Is the right place for us. And eventually God Himself will exalt, us. Marvelous grace indeed!

If we feel this place of humiliation will increase our problems, this is fully provided for. We need only cast our care upon Him, instead of ourselves bearing the burden of it. "For He careth for you. "This is true whether or not we cast our care on Him, He cares anyway: therefore we might as well take advantage of His unfailing kindness.