I was reading in a devotion about 1 Peter today where he says, "casting all your care upon Him (God), because He cares for you." The devotion author mentioned about the verb cast and notated two different ways to cast. You can cast a fishing rod where you will reel it back in to yourself. You can also cast a rock into the water where it will remain, never to be picked up again. It made me wonder how I cast my cares upon the Lord? He wants me to cast them upon Him like I would throw a rock in a pond - never to be retrieved again. However, do I? It seems too frequently, I cast them upon Him as if I'm throwing out my line to fish, only to reel it back in again and try to handle it myself. I had never really thought about it that way. Had you? The key to why we do that is found in the previous verse. It says to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. In order to cast it like a stone, we have to humble ourselves, admit that we can't handle the burden, only God can. From now on, I'll approach my time of supplication differently. I'll be more purposeful about casting my cares upon the Lord like I'd skip a stone across water, never to take it up again. I hope you will too.
Whether we realize it or not, we are engaged in a battle. The battle is with an unseen enemy, and it attacks in an unconventional way. Our first reaction is to fight. Go against the enemy with all barrels blazing while trying to shield the most vulnerable. How can we best win?
God shows us throughout Scripture with the largest battles that Israel faced. What did Moses tell the children of Israel when they were facing the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh's army bearing down on them from behind? Exodus 14:13 says, “Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.”
When Gideon and his army were facing the Midianites, Gideon told them in 2 Chronicles 20:17, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
Again, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. I am not saying we should not do anything. In each of these scenarios, God required them to do something. Moses had to use his staff. The children of Israel had to step into the Red Sea. Gideon had to reduce his troops, and his army had to blow their trumpets and yell. Action must occur.
Along with that, stillness must occur within each of us. We must be still for God to do His work in and through us. In Numbers 9:8, Moses again tells the children of Israel, “Stand still, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.” He needed them to stand still so he could hear direction from the Lord. In Psalm 46:10, we know that it says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Be still.
As we go along our way, please take time out to be still. Pray. Do as it says in Job 37:14, “Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God” or as it says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Take some time and stand still.
My old Bible cover was worn out. I like a cover that will hold pens, pencils, Bible Study books, etc. with my Bible. This is not easy to find. Searched for months & kept coming back to this. I bought it as a reminder that we are in a great battle. We need to check ourselves daily to ensure we have on the full armor of God. Also as important, though, we need to know who our enemy is.
Your neighbor is not your enemy.
Your spouse is not your enemy.
Your parent is not your enemy.
Your sibling is not your enemy.
Your co-worker is not your enemy.
The Democrats are not your enemy
The Republicans are not your enemy.
The Church is not your enemy.
The LGBTQ are not your enemy.
The Straight are not your enemy.
The Black are not your enemy.
The White are not your enemy.
Satan IS your enemy. He wants you to believe all of these are, so he can destroy you. Unless you go after the right enemy with Jesus, the One who has already won the war, you are at risk of destruction.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Seriously, is anyone else with me on this? It seems there are days when we have so much going on that prayer time goes something like this:
“Father God, thank you for another day. You are so good, and I love you...I can’t forget to do the agenda for that meeting later in the week, and I need to follow up with Karen. The dishwasher needs run tonight. I forgot last night...so sorry, Lord. Please forgive my busy mind today...”
I’ll confess I’ve had more than my fair share of prayers go like that, even with so looking forward to prayer time. Even with knowing P.R.A.Y., which we discussed in previous posts. It is frustrating! Then, I started reading the book Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. She talks about writing down our prayers so we’ll remember and can record when prayer is answered. It was then that Holy Spirit asked, “Don’t you write out an agenda of items you want to make sure to discuss with your boss when you meet with him? Why not do that with Me to prepare for your time with The Lord?” When Holy Spirit speaks, we should listen, so I tried it. It has been amazing because it gives quality time with both Holy Spirit and God. First, there is quiet time to listen for what Holy Spirit really wants you to pray about. This time can reveal hidden sin in your life, bring names to your remembrance of who most needs your intercession, time to reflect on who God is. For what do you want to praise Him? What needs surrendered in your life? Is there Scripture to pray? I jot this down in P.R.A.Y. format. This forms a prayer strategy so the Enemy cannot distract me. If I start to get prayer ADHD, I look to my prayer strategy to get back on track. It really has helped me. I pray it may help others as well. Have a blessed day!
My favorite song is the old hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” by
William Walford. During these past years and trials, this hymn has not
just become my favorite, but it has become who I am – my life’s
statement. Let the words of blind William Walford speak for themselves:
Sweet hour of
prayer! sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father’s throne Make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief And oft escaped the tempter’s snare By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of
prayer! sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear To Him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless. And since He bids me seek His face, Believe His Word and trust His grace, I’ll cast on Him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of
prayer! sweet hour of prayer! May I thy consolation share, Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height, I view my home and take my flight: This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise To seize the everlasting prize; And shout, while passing through the air, “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”
Aren't they wonderfully, inspiring words? I do believe that with earthly blindness, Mr. Walford was given the gift to see into the throne room of Grace! Often, when I'm preparing to pray, I like to imagine what the first verse talks about. I see a strong but grandfatherly figure on a large throne. He sees small me peeking in from the door, and calls for me to come before Him. Then, He not only calls me forward, but allows small me to sit up by Him or even in His lap to hold and comfort me like His child as I make all my wants and wishes known. That is where my soul finds relief...in His all knowing, grace filled, unconditionally loving arms. Often the vision is so real and comforting that it brings me to joy filled tears.
So often then we as Christians want to jump to the last verse. "Come quickly Lord Jesus!" we so frequently say. That day will come soon enough, and personally, if I look at my own job performance as a Christian, it is coming too soon! I still have much work to do for the Father! So with that, for now, we need to stay tuned into what verse 2 tells us. He is trying to engage our waiting souls to bless us. That word "engage" is an interesting word choice...it is interactive. Just like a wedding proposal, the groom desires the bride's engagement. She has a choice, though. She can accept or decline. It is the same with us and God. We can accept His offer of eternal life with Him and His blessings or decline them. It is our choice.
Also, in that second verse is that word again, twice, that we don't like to hear - wait. The more trails I face in my life, though, the more I'm convinced that is the key to a deep relationship with Christ. Wait. So many verses touch on that...we'll take a look there in a different post. So wait. I'll wait for you, sweet hour of prayer. We should wait and long for our daily time with God because it is truly so sweet.
Here is my simple attempt of sharing worship with you. Hope it is a blessing. Listen to the words, not the quality of my voice.
