Week of August 20, 2000
Melanie H.

"Cast all your anxiety on him
because He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7

"Don't Worry!" The advice not to worry is valid. A lot of people really don't know how to stop worrying, even though they know they should. I loved to fish when I was younger. My Dad had such patience with me. I would swing the pole back over my shoulder, then whip it forward. The lure and line went flying out into the water. My Dad use to say, "You really unloaded a cast that time!"

That's exactly the meaning of the word "cast" in 1 Peter 5:7. It means to give up or to unload. When you as a single person or as a couple find yourself burdened by anxiety, unload it to God. The tense of the verb "cast" literally means a direct, once-and-for-all committal to God of all anxiety or worry. Sometimes it helps to say out loud, "God, we are giving You this burden; we no longer dwell upon it." That is just what my husband, Timothy, and I did when we knew he just could not work at his present job much longer. The hour and 15 minutes commute each way was surely taking a toll on his body. Not to mention the graveyard shift. We prayed on it and gave it to God. We no longer dwelled on this issue. We knew God was taking care of it. We even wrote on little cards and posted them around our home and even on my car visor. "Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you!"

Last week Tim accepted a job to start a new pilot program with Habitat for Humanity. He will be working with convicts and showing them how to demolish the old shells of homes and teaching them carpentry, painting, roofing, sheet rocking and everything that goes into building a new home. We both know God has answered our prayers.

You can cast your worry on God with confidence. Why? Because He cares for you. He knows how much you can stand. He wants to strengthen you and help you stand firm.

Pray that God may give you a lift, as on eagles' wings,
by strengthening your faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Contributed by Melanie H.
Published Sunday August 20, 2000
Week 39 of Liturgical Year B