-April 20, 2022-
Good morning, happy Wednesday,
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. “
(1 Peter 5:7).
Over the last ten years or so, the number of caretakers in the U.S. has mushroomed into multibillion dollar industry. Being a caretaker is not easy, whether they are paid or not. Many caretakers are family members: husbands or wives, sons or daughters. My older brother takes care of our 94-old mother. He is a fantastic caregiver. For so many others they don’t have a caregiver, and are living in nursing homes, often in poor conditions.
Jesus is the best caretaker anyone can have. He calls upon each believer to cast their cares and burdens on Him. He promises to be with us and meet our needs. Jesus even made provision for His own mother Mary. He gave the apostle John that responsibility even as He hung on the cross. John took her into his own home and cared for her like his own mother for the rest of her life.
We all have cares, burdens and needs. God never intended for us to carry these loads ourselves. The story is told in a Daily Bread devotional of a young child who was walking along with his father and a family friend. The boy started picking up rocks that he called “piggies,” since their shape reminded him of little pigs. He filled every pocket he had, and then started carrying them in both of his hands. His father offered to help his overburdened son, but the boy suggested that the father carry him while he carried the stones. We are often like that: due to our pride and self-dependence, we want to still have the control. Like the son, we often carry so many cares and burdens that weigh us down.
David wrote in Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (or shaken).” Jesus is not only a caretaker but also a burden-bearer. We all have them: family issues, job issues, physical issues, mental issues, or any number of other issues that challenge us and weigh us down. So many things are out of our control but we keep holding onto them until we fall under their heavy load.
Will you let go of your cares and burdens and give them to Jesus? Jesus bore His cross all the way along the Via Delarosa to Calvary. He had been scourged so severely that He collapsed under the load. The Roman soldiers compelled a man named Simon of Cyrene, a passerby, to help carry the cross. It is mentioned that he had two sons, Alexander and Rufus who were followers of Jesus. Jesus feels with us, knowing how heavy our cares and burdens are.
The hymn writer Arthur Luther wrote, “Earthly friends may prove untrue, doubts and fears assail; One still loves and cares for you, One who will not fail.” Jesus has never failed us and He never will.
Have a blessed and lighter day casting your cares and burdens on Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.
In His care,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 