God Says..."Cast all your cares on me."

By Jason V (Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor)

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

As a husband, father and pastor, I face the constant temptation to worry.  At our church, with our church members and leaders, in our home, in my marriage- everywhere I face almost constant fears and anxieties.

I am tempted to worry about my children: Will they grow up to love the Lord?  Will they fall into trials and temptations that seem to plague so many “pastor’s kids”?  Have I messed up in my parenting? Am I too restrictive? Am I too permissive?

I am tempted to worry about our marriage and our household: Will we have enough money to pay for all of life’s expenses? Am I spending enough time with my wife?  Am I showing her how much I love her?  Is she feeling pressured and overwhelmed by the task of being a “pastor’s wife”?  Am I praying for her as much as I should?

At church, I am tempted to anxiety at every turn: Did the visitors like our church?  Was my sermon really any good?  Will our church grow?  Will giving increase?  Will we meet our budget?  Are our people really growing spiritually?  Are we reaching our community?  Should we be doing more?  How can we?

If I tried to carry the weight of all of these concerns and expectations, they would crush me.  Honestly, on some days, I carry too much and I do feel overwhelmed.  So what am I supposed to do?

Every night, as I put my children to bed, I pray for them.  Every morning, as I turn to God in His word, I pray for my wife and my children and our church.  When I sit down to prepare a sermon, I pray.  When I get up to preach, I pray.  When I review finances at home or at church, I pray.

It may seem simple-minded.  To some cynical people, it may seem pointless.  Here’s the truth: God is far greater that I could ever hope to be or even imagine being.  He is wiser, more powerful, more loving, more far-seeing and more capable of bearing burdens.  And He invites me to come and cast my cares on Him.

And so each day I face a choice: Will I fear the future and be anxious over all the burdens I could bear or will I trust the One who spoke the universe into existence and who loved me enough to give His Son for me?  To walk by faith and not by sight is my daily calling.  It is an invitation to rest and to trust and it is a call I must answer.

Will you?

Jason is blessed to be married to a wonderful woman and to have three children (two boys, aged seven and four and a one year old baby girl). He serves as the Pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Cheraw, SC and blogs over at Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor. He enjoys strong coffee, good books and nature walks with his family.