Most people have troubles of one kind or another, and they want to know how to get rid of them. They try this way and that — yet the troubles still cling to them. They worry and bother, fret and complain, but their troubles grow no less. Sometimes they weep and pray; sometimes they become discouraged and despair; yet all that they do only seems to increase their troubles.
Since trouble is such a common thing, is there no way that we can rise above it and triumph over it? Many people read the scriptural prescription and know what the Bible says to do with trouble — but it seems that they try everything else first. The Bible says, “Casting all your cares upon God — for He cares for you.” Now there are people who believe the latter part of this who never do the first part.
Someone says, “Why don’t you cast your cares on the Lord?” They reply, “Oh, I have; but it doesn’t seem to do any good.” Have they cast their cares on the Lord? No; they have simply brought their trouble to the Lord for Him to inspect — they have called His attention to various things concerning it, told Him how heavy it is, how weary they have become of bearing it, and how much they need help. And then they picked up their burden and walked away with it.
Have you thought you have been casting your care upon Jesus — and at the same time have gone away from your place of prayer as heavily burdened as before? Maybe you have just been having your troubles inspected and have kept a tight hold upon them yourself. The first thing to do in casting them on Jesus is to let go of them, since you cannot cast anything down unless you let go of it.
Instead of disappearing, the troubles of some people grow larger the more they pray over them and consider them. Their experience is like that of the Psalmist, who said, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged” (Psalm 25:17). When a thing is enlarged, then it is magnified. Often we magnify our troubles by looking at them and thinking of them.
There is a story about an old lady who was walking along the road carrying a heavy basket. A gentleman driving in a carriage invited her to ride with him. She got into the carriage, but the basket was on her lap. The man asked why she did not set it down on the floor of the carriage. She answered, “I am heavy enough myself! I do not want to make the load heavier by setting my basket down.” You laugh at this, but perhaps you are doing the same thing. Jesus is having to support both you and your burden — yet you carry the burden too. This does not make it any easier for Jesus, but it does make it harder for you.
Do you say, “I can cast some troubles on the Lord, but this is a real one”? Do you think Jesus is able to bear only the imaginary troubles, and that you must carry the real ones yourself? You can get rid of the imaginary troubles by forgetting them; you do not need to cast them on Jesus. It is the real burdens — the ones that grip your soul, that cause you to suffer, that wound and trouble you — that you should cast on Jesus. You can get rid of them in this way, and only this way. Let go of your troubles. Jesus is adequate to the task of taking care of them — and you too. Think over this text until you really take it deep in your heart: “Casting all your cares upon Him — for He cares for you.”
Charles Wesley Naylor is considered one of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters of the Church of God. He was bedridden for much of his adult life but wrote eight books, a newspaper column, and more than 150 songs. Many of his writings are in the public domain.
