Casting Cares on the Lord in Times of Stress
The concept of casting cares on the Lord in times of stress is rooted in the biblical exhortation to trust in God's providence and care. The apostle Peter writes, "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you" [1, 2]. This verse is a reference to Psalm 55:22, where the psalmist says, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord" [3].
In the context of 1 Peter 5:7, the apostle is encouraging believers to humble themselves under God's mighty hand, trusting that He will exalt them in due time [4]. The Greek word for "casting" is in the aorist tense, indicating a once-for-all action, suggesting that believers should decisively lay their anxieties on God [4]. The term "care" or "anxiety" refers to the worries and concerns that can weigh heavily on one's mind and heart.
According to John Calvin, this casting of care is not a passive act, but rather an active trust in God's providence and care [5]. Calvin notes that God is not only concerned with the spiritual well-being of believers but also with their physical and material needs. He cites Psalm 91:1, which says that those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High will abide under His shadow [5].
The early church fathers also understood the importance of casting cares on God. Augustine, for example, emphasizes the need to trust in God's providence and care, even in times of uncertainty and difficulty [8].
The practice of casting cares on God is not limited to individual piety but is also reflected in the communal life of the church. The apostle Peter's exhortation is addressed to a community of believers who are facing persecution and hardship [1]. In this context, casting cares on God is not only a personal act of trust but also a communal expression of dependence on God's care and providence.
In times of stress and anxiety, believers are encouraged to turn to God in prayer, laying their cares and concerns before Him. Calvin notes that prayer is not a means of informing God of our needs, but rather a means of acknowledging our dependence on Him and expressing our trust in His care [7]. As the psalmist says, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee" [3].
The biblical concept of casting cares on God is closely tied to the idea of God's care and providence. Believers are encouraged to trust that God is actively working in their lives, even in times of difficulty and uncertainty. As Calvin notes, God's providence is not limited to grand or dramatic events, but is also evident in the everyday circumstances of life [6].
The Reformed tradition, as represented by Calvin, emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's providence and care, even in the face of adversity. This trust is not a blind or passive acceptance of circumstances, but rather an active and confident reliance on God's goodness and sovereignty [5].
Sources
- I Peter “I Peter 5:7 (BSB) — Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
- 1 Peter “1 Peter 5:7 (NASB) — casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 55:21: Cast thy burden upon the Lord,.... These are either the words of the Holy Ghost to David, according to Jarchi; or of David to his own soul in distress, and may be directed to any good man in like circumstances. The word rendered "burden" signifies a gift and so the words are translated by many, "cast thy gift upon the Lord" (f); what he has given in a way of providence and of grace, acknowledge him to be the author of it; pray for a continuance of mercies, and for fresh supplies, and expect them; and also what he gives in a way of trial, the cross, with all afflictio”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 5:7: Casting--once for all: so the Greek aorist. care--"anxiety? The advantage flowing from humbling ourselves under God's hand (Pe1 5:6) is confident reliance on His goodness. Exemption from care goes along with humble submission to God. careth for you--literally "respecting you." Care is a burden which faith casts off the man on his God. Compare Psa 22:10; Psa 37:5; Psa 55:22, to which Peter alludes; Luk 12:22, Luk 12:37; Phi 4:6. careth--not so strong a Greek word as the previous Greek "anxiety."”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 33: ; Ps. 91:1 ; Zech. 2:8 ; Isaiah 26:1 ; 29:15 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” “Casting all your care upon him: for he careth for you.” “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” “He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye.” “We have a strong city: salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.” “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of he”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 63: advantages of body, or mind, or fortune, we grow insolent, the Lord himself interferes as he sees to be expedient by means of the cross, subduing and curbing the arrogance of our flesh, and that in various ways, as the advantage of each requires. For as we do not all equally labour under the same disease, so we do not all need the same difficult cure. Hence we see that all are not exercised with the same kind of cross. While the heavenly Physician treats some more gently, in the case of others he employs harsher remedies, his purpo”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: framed as becomes those who are entering into converse with God. This we shall accomplish in regard to the mind, if, laying aside carnal thoughts and cares which might interfere with the direct and pure contemplation of God, it not only be wholly intent on prayer, but also, as far as possible, be borne and raised above itself. I do not here insist on a mind so disengaged as to feel none of the gnawings of anxiety; on the contrary, it is by much anxiety that the fervor of prayer is inflamed. Thus we see that the holy servants of God”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. XII. -- 27. AS to the seventh day of the week there is less difficulty in acting on the rule above quoted, because both the Roman Church and some other churches, though few, near to it or remote (part 2): instruction. The passage does not therefore prove that they habitually fasted on the Lord's day, but only that it did not seem meet to the apostle to interrupt, for the sake of taking refreshment, an important discourse, which was listened to with the ardour of most lively interest by persons whom he was about to leave, and whom, on accoun”