A few weeks ago I was catching up with a friend via text because one of her Facebook posts caught my eye, and I realized that I had very little idea what was going on in her personal life.  To say she had been thrown a curve ball in life may be an understatement.  She was recuperating from her own physical injury resulting from a workplace accident leaving her unable to drive for several weeks, which was quickly followed by the unrelated but serious hospitalization of her mother – on top of the other stresses that happen in life.  To summarize her predicament, she said (with sardonic humor), “They say God never gives you more than we can handle, so he must think I’m pretty strong.”

This was followed by a conversation with my cousin, who is dealing with a personal trauma in her family too personal to share in this format.  Another friend is trying to launch a new business, but keeps getting hit with staff reductions necessitating yet another strategy for her launch model.  Another friend struggles with the impact of mental illness and sexual assault in her children’s lives.  And I have more stories of heartbreak, grief, transition, robberies, questioning direction, questioning purpose…

Are we all really this strong?!  Heavens, no – thank, God!  Wait, what?

I’ve heard several people say what my friend said earlier, “They say God never gives you more than we can handle, so he must think I’m pretty strong.”  That’s actually not quite true.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says,

“…And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

So that concept is related to temptations, not burdens.  It’s about God always giving us the opportunity to choose purity, holiness, and light rather than succumbing to the sticky slope of yucky decisions.

Burdens are an entirely different arena altogether!

What do you do with burdens?

The truth is, God doesn’t give us more burdens than we can handle.  Instead, we’re meant to push our burdens to him.  What’s more, he likes taking care of things!  He is well qualified to take care of things, seeing as he knows everything, is everywhere (I mean, everywhere at all times and in all times), and has all the wisdom, power, and authority. Not only that, but he intensely cares for us.

So let’s talk about this idea of pushing our burdens to God instead of bearing them ourselves.  Scriptures use the word cast.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22

The meaning of the original Greek word literally means to throw.  Not “throw” like tossing a ball in the back yard.  It means to throw away from yourself with force.  Hurl it!  God is strong.  He can take it!  In fact, he invites it!

Here are other places in the Bible that use the same Greek word for “cast” so you can get a better idea of what it means to cast your burdens on God.

At the end of Matthew, after Judas betrayed Jesus by turning him over to the authorities to be killed on a cross (spoiler alert: he didn’t stay dead), Judas was so struck by the sin of betraying someone so innocent, that he took the silver he had been given for the act and “threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.” Matthew 27:5 He wanted no part of the money so he “threw” it. He cast it away from himself.

In the book of Luke, Jesus warns about the severity of causing someone to sin.  “It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Luke 17:2  Um… Thrown in to the sea with a millstone?  A millstone is the size of a dining room table – but entirely made out of hard heavy stone that takes the effort of 2-3 donkeys or people to even roll it (see the photo above)!  I would say there is no coming back from that kind of throwing (aka, casting).

Here’s a final example of casting used in the New Testament.  In Acts, the Roman empire was trying to get Paul to Rome to stand trial before Caesar.  From Israel to Rome involves a lot of shipping routes between mainlands and islands.  However, the time of year they set out to sail was after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), which occurs in the fall.  It happens to be fall at the time of this writing. I’m looking out of my window at the piles of leaves waiting to be collected by the city.  Weather is very unpredictable at this time of year, which has resulted in 2″ of snow covering the leaf piles (and we’re not even halfway through November yet!).  Against better advice, this is the time of year that the Roman centurion tried to sail with Paul, and it didn’t go well.  A “wind of hurricane force” battered the ship around, close to the rocky shores and sandbars of nearby islands.  A heavy boat sits much deeper in the waters, so a massive effort was made to lighten the boat so it would not be destroyed by being hurled into the perilous coastlines.  “On the third day, they threw the ships tackle overboard with their own hands.” Acts 27:19  They cast the ships tackle overboard to save their own lives!

Take Another Look

With that understanding of casting, read these verses again:

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22

And here are some promises that go along with the act of casting:

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke (teaching) upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 32:8

“Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.  When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me.  When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Psalm 94:17-19

I love this one:

“…Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him (thrown at him, cast) for that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12

And so…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding (it’s like nothing else you’ve ever known), will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4

At the end of your casting, sit. Wait. Listen.  Let the peace of God wash over you.  Let him whisper something to your heart that will sustain you.   Write it down so you can remember it and not doubt it.  And finally…

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (among the many other references that say exactly the same thing)

Thanks for reading! This is just one of the ways I put a smile back in the world!