Learning to Cast Your Burdens Unto God
The modern-day Christian faces many challenges in our hustle and bustle culture. Days are filled with completing task after task yet, you still feel behind. Nights are supposed to be restful but instead, they’re sleepless as the mind wonders in a sea of anxiety and worry.
I know how you feel.
It was my senior year of medical school and it was time to apply for my first job as a physician, aka residency. For many medical students, it marks the beginning of a stressful yet, exciting time. It involves interviews, dinners, meeting new people, and exploring a new city that you may potentially call home.
In the first three years of school, we studied night and day and sat through 7-8 hour exams. We went above and beyond on rotations displaying medical knowledge, compassion, and discipline developing our medical and patient care skills.
Although the journey wasn’t a cakewalk (like at all), God allowed me to do well. I smiled for my headshot, filled out my application, and sent it to the positions of my choice. I didn’t expect the results I got.
Rejection letter after rejection letter started to come to my inbox.
WHAT? God, what did I do? What are you doing?
Imagine my heartbreak when everything I’d worked to accomplish in the past seven years seemed to be disappearing right before my eyes in less than a few weeks.
Would I have a job after I graduated from medical school? Would I be able to pay off the massive amount of debt I’d accumulated? Was I a failure?
I questioned my calling, my capabilities of being a good doctor, and my ability to hear from God.
I cried, I prayed and I cried some more. To this day, not even some of my closest friends know the fullness of this story.
But, it was a season that was important in my Christian journey. I can look back and say that I’m grateful for it…mostly. (just being honest). It was during this season I began the journey of learning to cast my cares unto Jesus.
I want to talk to you about doing the same. Whatever mountain you’re staring at and whatever valley you feel trapped in, there is freedom and joy in Jesus Christ.
And I mean right there at the bottom of the slope and in the valley’s darkness. Your reading this article is just further confirmation that God is meeting you there.
In this article, we’ll step into the light of freedom as we learn to cast our cares unto the Lord.
Quick note, all scripture in this article was borrowed from biblegateway.com
What does it mean to cast your cares unto Jesus?
Psalms 55:22 (NIV) states,
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
Casting your cares unto the Lord is not an act of disregarding responsibility. Because as the Bible says, faith without works is dead.
Casting your cares unto God is an act of faith. It’s surrender.
It’s trading your worry and anxiety for God’s peace and joy. It’s telling your problems that you serve the Great I am and if He be for you, who can be against you? It’s trusting God to be God so that you can live a life of freedom.
In order to drive this point home, let’s head to the Bible for examples of Christians who did this well.
The first person that comes to mind is Jesus and the second, is David. Although they both faced difficult circumstances, they lived worry-free lives leaning into the knowledge of who they belonged to and whom they served.
One of my favorite stories from the Gospels is the story of Jesus calming a storm. You can find it in Mark 4:35-41.
Here’s a short summary.
After teaching a crowd, Jesus and His disciples left by boat. On their journey, a severe storm came. Jesus was sleeping in the stern (the back of the boat) as the waves came crashing and the boat started to flood.
Terrified that they were facing death, the disciples woke Him. Jesus got up and commanded the waves and winds to be still. All became calm.
Mark 4:40 documents Jesus’s response to His disciples.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
This is a perfect example of Jesus casting his cares unto God. In a raging storm, He slept in peace while the disciples ran around in terror. They tried fixing it themselves at first and when this didn’t work, they woke Jesus.
I’m not saying ignore the danger. But, I am saying that when life’s storms come, you can do just as Jesus did.
You can use God’s word to speak life (i.e. command) the storm. You can also sleep peacefully knowing that your Father has everything in His hands and is working all things for your good.
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Our other example is David. David was both warrior and king and as such, He faced many fears in his life. One of my many favorite Psalms is Psalms 23.
I was captivated by the first verse which states,
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
David goes on to say
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
During David’s many challenges, He always put his trust in God knowing that God would deliver Him. He knew that God provided all that he needed both spiritually and physically.
God was his armor, shield, and fortress in physical and spiritual battles. Like David, we can cast our cares unto God and find comfort under His protective wing in the midst of our trials.
Why does God want us to cast our cares unto Him?
The answer to this question is simple. He loves us. God is your loving Father.
If you’re a parent, an aunt, or an uncle, think about your child or niece/nephew. Would you want them worried about the dangers of this world, starvation, or finances?
Would you want them worried about how they were going to get to school the next morning or even if there is enough gas in the car?
The answer is no because you love them and have the ability to provide all of this for them. You expect them to be a kid.
Well God thinks the same way. You are His child and He is more than capable of taking care of you.
Remember this the next time the worries and anxieties of life come for your joy and peace.
How to cast your burdens unto Jesus?
1. Be still, and know that He is God.
When situations arise, it’s human nature to go into problem-solving mode. How am I going to fix this and how am I going to get out of this are just a few questions that start to flood our minds.
This usually leads to worry and anxiety.
We’ve been taking this approach all of our lives and it’s ingrained into us. But, God wants to retrain us.
Again, casting your cares is not casting responsibility. It’s how you approach the situation.
Approach it knowing that although the situation is a surprise to you, it’s not to God. Make sure you’re magnifying God and not the situation. Also, go into prayer and seek God’s wisdom. If He doesn’t answer right then, don’t take things into your own hands. Instead, be persistent in prayer seeking His guidance.
And just as importantly, trust Him. Trust that nothing happens without His consent and His plans for you are good. Trust His power, might, wisdom, and sovereignty.
Get out of His way and let Him be God. Give up your control (yes, I’m talking to you Mr or Ms Type A personality).
God doesn’t need a general manager of the universe. I’ve turned in my resignation letter and I suggest you do the same.
Also, please don’t be like me as I catch myself at times trying to reapply. You will be denied. Let go and let your Father work out His perfect plan for your life.
2. Develop a kingdom mindset
In other words, control your thoughts. Your perspective is everything. It can be the difference between success and failure.
God gave me this example. Imagine you come upon a lump sum of money. The next day, your car breaks down and the repair is costly.
The worldly mindset would go into “woe is me” mode. With this mindset, thoughts sound something like, “Every time something good happens to me, something goes wrong,” or “I can’t have anything good.”
That’s what the enemy wants you to think. A person with a kingdom perspective looks at the situation differently. They actually praise and thank God.
Why? Because the lump sum of money was God providing for them before they knew they had a problem.
This is why God calls you to think like Him. When we develop a Christ-like mindset, we fight like God winning our spiritual battles and glorifying Him.
Be sure to check out my article on developing a kingdom mindset.
3. Trust God as the keeper of His promises
One thing that I learned from the Israelites’ mistakes is to remember God and His promises.
If you can recall, the Israelites had seen God work miracles and wonders as Moses demanded their release from Pharaoh. They watched with their own eyes as God parted a sea so they could cross safely. When their enemies tried to pursue them, they watched God close the sea washing their enemies away.
He led them fire by night and cloud by day. He gave them bread from Heaven and water in the wilderness.
Still, when the first sign of trouble came, they forgot all of that. They grumbled against God and Moses stating that they should have left them in Egypt (i.e. in bondage).
I’ve chosen to not take the same path they did. I chose to remember all God has done when troubles come. Because if He saved me then, He will save me now. I chose to stand on His promises, unwavering and doing my best to trust Him completely.
How about you?
4. Spend more time with God
When you spend more time with someone, you get to know them better. And when you know someone, It’s easier for you to trust them (or not…but we’re talking about God).
For example, Jesus often spent time in prayer communicating with God. Other biblical characters did too, such as the Proverbs 31 woman.
She was a woman who knew how to cast her cares as she rose early and went to God for her battle strategies and instructions for the day. You can do the same.
By the way, you can check out my article on practical ways to spend time with God for the busy Christian to get some ideas on how you can include more time with Jesus throughout your day.
5. Replace your worry with worship
I love the lyrics of the song, Trust In You, by Anthony Brown & Group Therapy. The song goes
“You did not create me to worry,
You did not create me to fear
But you created me to worship daily
So Ima leave it all right here”
I found myself singing one day in the shower as the cares of the world started to flood my mind. I felt instant relief.
This song is about casting your cares unto Jesus. It reminds us that God never created us to worry or fear. He created us to worship Him. So if you’re feeling stressed right now, it’s likely because you’re doing something you were never created to do.
As they say, worry and worship cannot reside in the same place. So take your worry and trade it for worship.
6. Surrender your will for God’s
I shared a personal rejection story at the beginning of this article.
One of my problems is my Type A personality which likes control. For most of my life, I had gotten by with the attitude of if things doesn’t go my way, I would make it happen by sheer will.
However, after experiencing rejection in my career, God allowed my prideful heart to learn how to cast my cares through surrender.
It hadn’t been my sheer will that got me where I was. It was God’s grace that did. We must remember in our trials and disappointments, that God is working on a greater plan. And it’s perfect.
Always keep Roman 8:28 in your heart. The scripture states,
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Decide today to surrender your will for His. I promise you He’s a safe harbor for your heart, hopes, and dreams.
Prayer for casting your cares unto the Lord
Dear God,
I worship you as the Great I am, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I know that you are sovereign, powerful, and mighty. I give you all glory.
I thank you for your unconditional love. I thank you for being my provider, my rock, and my shield.
I confess that I have been worried about too many things and you didn’t create me to do this. Forgive me.
Holy Spirit help me to trade my worry for worship knowing that you are working all things for my good. Help me to see things from your perspective. Give me strength to guard my heart and endure my seasons of trial putting all of my trust in you.
Teach me how to cast my cares unto you all the days of my life.
In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
Final thoughts on how to cast your burdens unto God.
According to a study from the American Psychological Association, 27% of Americans reported that stress limited their ability to function most days of the week.
This is not what God wants for his children.
In this article, we have discussed what it means to cast our cares unto Jesus while also looking at the benefits of doing so. We have also learned a few tips on how to give our cares to the Lord.
I hope this article has encouraged you. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Until next time. Be blessed.
-Dr. Jay
Related Articles
The Power Of Having A Kingdom Mindset For The Modern-Day Christian.
7 Ways to Spend More Time With God In Today’s Busy World.
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