Cast Your Cares on the LORD

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22

“Cast”: is that like a fisherman throwing his net? To catch fish. To catch encouragement, strength and hope. It seems like a good image for grieving people. Throw out your line to catch some encouragement. Sometimes you know where to throw out your line because you know the fish have been biting there. Sometimes you do not have that much knowledge but you throw it out into the water, hoping, because you are so needy. Fish with either a line – with a specific question that you want to discuss with God or a friend or another bereaved parent. Or fish with a net – seeking the first bit of comfort that meets your eyes, ears or heart.

In grief, you know some specific places where you can get encouragement, good information or a good swift kick. (There’s a time and place for a good challenge to move forward too.) You can go to church, call a good friend who knows you and knows grief, read certain specific books or websites for insight. You can listen to certain music, read and ponder certain passages of scripture. You can pray, with open hands and open heart, ready to receive the Lord’s word to apply today in your present stage of grief.

Sometimes in grief, though, you’re so desperate and can’t connect with known specific sources at the moment, so casting a wide net is what you need to do. In addition to sources listed above, I’ve also found encouragement from a walk in the woods, from a sunset, from some snippet of a conversation on the radio. It may have had nothing to do with grief, but it led to a thought that led to another idea that gave great encouragement.

Ask the Lord for awareness and openness so that He can speak to you, He will lead your thoughts. Note that the New Testament version of this idea, below, mentions that it’s important that we humble ourselves before the Lord. Asking is a humble position. Ask Him for insight and encouragement, then stay tuned for the “catch of the day.” Ask Him for encouragement as needed each day.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. I Peter 5:6-7