He Careth For You

[0:00] He's got some life, you could say.

[0:23] And he's got some cares. I'm sure we can all reckon on some.! how we can handle them, how we can manage them, the Bible shows us just how, just how to do that.

[0:35] So if you're feeling somewhat discouraged, you're in the right place today. And look, we can all have those times. But the Word of God tells us how we can find God's care. And we read that in 1 Peter 5.

[0:46] 1 Peter 5 from verse 6. We read, Peter writes, 1 Peter 5, verse 6, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

[1:00] Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Amen to that. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about.

[1:16] Seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

[1:28] But the God of all grace who hath called you unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you've suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.

[1:40] To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. First, let's look at what troubles we face. We all have cares. We may carry from time to time.

[1:52] That's our human lot. We wouldn't be human if we didn't have some cares. We could all rattle off a big list, I'm sure, a long list maybe, of some things on our minds, worry, stress, sorrow, grief, suffering, loneliness, weariness, separation, loss, fear, depression, sickness, pain.

[2:15] They can all overwhelm. We could all have that big, long list of all of our cares and much more maybe. Problems of the mind, of the heart, they're exploding in the world today.

[2:29] Some facts are that drug companies are making a killing and making a fortune from prescriptions for tranquilizers.

[2:39] A lot of people feel the need to take such things. Maybe there's need, but it's just a picture, isn't it, of the world where there's so much dependence on such things as that.

[2:52] And friends, it's a reality that many suffer a lack of peace. They're loaded down with burdens and cares and the troubles of life. Friends, this is the reality and we know that and it's not to discount anyone here that might be feeling that way right even now.

[3:09] Friends, this is an answer from the Word of God for you, for all of us, to take heart from His truth. This morning, 1 Peter 5, verse 6, it tells us, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you into your time.

[3:24] What does it say? Let's say it together. Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. Let's say it again. Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.

[3:39] There's many kinds of cares. It could be cares about our family, cares about finances, about the future, about our health, about the health of others, about our jobs, about our income, about world conditions, about hunger, war, poverty, climate change.

[3:56] Who knows? You name it. People are all full of care. This world is full of care. Every care, friends, every care that you might have, every care that you could imagine, every care that you might be carrying is in this verse.

[4:11] It's right here. It's right here. All. All. Cares are roadblocks to blessings, aren't they?

[4:22] Notice what we are to do. Casting all your care on Him. Why? For He careth for you. Here's a like verse in Psalm 55, 22.

[4:34] Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer, the righteous to be moved. We all can carry burdens in our daily lives, and some are heavier than others, might be bearing.

[4:52] And we don't always understand. We can not always be conscious of how others are carrying burdens. And we might think of only our own burdens. Think of the other person.

[5:02] Other person's burdens. In Psalm 55, we see a person overwhelmed with their burdens. But we see the answer there, don't we?

[5:13] Let's say it together, shall we? Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer, the righteous to be moved. What kind of burdens do people carry?

[5:26] Could be burdens to do with the home. To many, home is not sweet, but it's full of poverty. There's sickness and sorrow. There's trouble. There's concern.

[5:38] Some are suffering in having a spouse who's ill, or whatever it be. There's things, there's situations we don't always understand.

[5:49] There's burdens to do with business responsibilities, with making a living, with finding enough to sustain our family. There's burdens to do with the Lord's work.

[6:00] We see the kind of burdens that the Apostle Paul carried in his ministries. It wasn't plain sailing for Paul. There's burdens to do with our friends. We've got people on our hearts that we care about.

[6:12] There's burdens that we think of loved ones who are not saved. There's burdens that are physical. As we see, Paul had a thorn in his flesh. There's burdens that are emotional, that are fearful and anxious burdens.

[6:25] We might feel worry and despair, depression. There's burdens to do with loss and bereavement. Our Lord was moved, it says, as he stood there at Lazarus' tomb, as he saw Mary's grief.

[6:40] There's burdens there. There's burdens of disappointment, situations that don't work out how we want. We don't get a job we went for. There's things, there's letdowns.

[6:51] People let us down. People disappoint. People can be a burden. People that you care about that you can't seem to help. Friends, there's burdens.

[7:01] But friends, the heaviest burden, the absolute heaviest of all burdens is the burden of sin. The burden of sin. Friends, there's many types of burdens that we can bear and many, many more.

[7:13] So we've seen what, what troubles, what burdens, what troubles we can face. Now secondly, consider why. Why do these troubles come? It's often a question we can despair and cry out, why?

[7:26] Why is this happening? Why do troubles come? And friends, I want to put to you some reasons why. We can find there's a reason why. There's a purpose that we can discover. Now some would wrongly teach that it's never God's will for Christians to have any hardship or suffering.

[7:43] Now that, as plain as they, that's totally wrong. You can, I mean, our human experience, the reality of life would tell us that that's a total falsehood.

[7:54] But sometimes God allows, it is God's will for us to be allowed to have some suffering, some hardship through our life. And if that happens, it's due to, and you know, some would say that a trouble or suffering or hardship that happens to a Christian is because of our sin or it's because of our lack of faith.

[8:15] But friends, 1 Peter says that at times it is actually God's will. It is actually God's will even for the faithful believer to go through severe trials.

[8:26] Now look at what Paul went through as we talked about. Look at through what some of the apostles, the disciples, suffered in their testimony in martyrdom. And the hard place that you may find yourself may actually be the will of God being worked out.

[8:43] So don't feel that God is away from you when you're going through a hard place. His will is being worked out.

[8:54] And it's being worked out for your glory, for His glory rather, and it's being worked out for your good. So as we see in 1 Peter in chapter 3 verse 17 and chapter 4 verse 19, it talks about the suffering of believers that is according to the will of God.

[9:13] Notice there, that Peter writes, if you suffer, if the will of God be so, that you suffer for well-doing. And chapter 4 verse 19, that those that suffer ought to commit themselves to the keeping of their Lord.

[9:34] Those that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him. Friends, so it is God's will, at times it can be God's will, for believers to have suffering.

[9:47] Think of it, right through the Bible we see these things happening. God's faithful servants, they get tested, they get tested and tested. Our Lord Himself was tested as He yielded by faith to the Father's will, even in the garden, to drink of that bitter cup of suffering.

[10:08] So God's will can mean His beloved ones are placed into a fiery trial. So let's look at some of these reasons why we can't have trouble.

[10:20] It's always good to reflect because friends, it's our daily lot to have some trouble. It can be trouble right now, trouble tomorrow. But friends, number one, here's one reason why our troubles can come our way.

[10:38] And the number one reason here is for refining. Refining. We know that familiar message of the life of Job as it reads in Job 23 verse 10 he says, Job says, but he knoweth the way that I take.

[10:57] When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold. So it's actually God is the one who knows the way that we take and God is the one who's going to try us in order that we're going to come forth as gold.

[11:11] It's a refining. It's a refining. There's a lesson in every trial and we often feel the need for patience yet it is tribulation that work with patience.

[11:22] And if we've got a problem with patience maybe he's going to send some tribulation our way. He'll help us to learn patience. There's a refining. If we want to have that closer walk with our Lord let's not forget that his strength is made perfect in our weakness.

[11:39] So it's at that point where we feel the most helpless God steps in and gives us his power. God steps in and gives us his strength. God tells us to get ready for fiery trials.

[11:50] For fiery trials. God works as that master refiner burning away the dross so we can come forth it says as gold as pure gold. There's a refining.

[12:01] When trials come it should be no surprise to us. Don't be surprised at having some trial. 1 Peter 4 verse 12 Peter says Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you.

[12:20] Peter says get ready for a fiery trial. He says don't think of something unusual. He says this is something we can expect and we see right through 1 Peter all of these kind of messages.

[12:32] Friends God has his reasons for the trial. God has his reasons and the believer can rejoice even in now in the midst of the trial. As it reads on verse 13 Peter says but rejoice in as much as he are partakers of Christ's sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed you may be glad also with exceeding joy.

[12:53] Now we may not like that refining what's happening but ultimately there will be joy. Ultimately there will be his glory. Ultimately we can be glad with exceeding joy. When God's glory is revealed and friends his glory is going to be revealed soon.

[13:08] The Lord is coming and the Lord is returning. I think his glory isn't far away. People so get ready and don't worry about the fiery trial because his glory is just around the corner.

[13:19] God's glory is coming and they will understand perfectly all of these things of this earth. For the meantime there's the trial of your faith. 1 Peter 1.7 it says Peter writes that So friends God can turn our tragedies into triumphs.

[13:48] He can turn that refining into that pureness of gold. He can take that gold as it were our faith as tried in the furnace making it much stronger and richer for his pleasure and it can be strengthened.

[14:04] Our faith can be enriched through suffering. So it may seem you know you might think this is light of me to say this but this is the word of God to you.

[14:16] It's the word of God to you. We all have trials but you can take heart saint. You can take heart saint. There's a refining and there's a process that's going to be to your blessing.

[14:29] So secondly we see not only is there a refining from trials there's a learning. There's a learning from trials. Here's what someone wrote I walked a mile with pleasure.

[14:41] She tattered all the way but not a thing I learned from her for all that she had to say. I walked a mile with sorrow but not a word said she but oh the things I learnt from her when sorrow walked with me.

[14:54] When have we learnt the most sometimes it's those hard times those tough things when sorrows come. How are we going to know we have a God who is faithful?

[15:05] It's by going through the testings that God will bring our way. It's through those testings we get closer to God. It's through those trials that our faith can be strengthened.

[15:16] It's through that suffering that we'll see the glory. It's the cross before the crown. Friends it's for our learning. It's for our learning so it's for our refining. It's for our learning. The third one is for our growing.

[15:29] Trying to part of God's training. It's a training program. We're learning to grow. Sometimes we've got to have the chastening of our parents to get redirected to have a correction but that will help us to grow.

[15:43] That we can be more fruitful and useful Christian through the things that we go through because we will get through them. Every Christian can expect sometimes of trouble. If you face trouble, friends, God cares.

[15:56] Does Jesus care? Yes he does. He has a purpose. He has a purpose and you're under his wings. You're under his shadow.

[16:08] You're under his refuge. And you can know his overshadowing love and that God is training you. you're learning through this trial, this situation, whatever it be.

[16:22] And even in our darkest hour we can by faith, we can commit our way unto him. We can commit our way and know that he perfectly cares and loves us infinitely.

[16:33] And he knows our deepest need. He promises to sustain us. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee.

[16:45] Don't you want his sustaining? You've got to cast your burden into his hands. He'll meet your need. He'll meet those, he'll promise you that strength and he'll give you that strength through the trials of each new day.

[16:59] So when we're going through such things, when we carry such cares and burdens, another question is how? How can God help? How can God help? He sees our troubles and cares.

[17:13] He sees everything, he knows everything, he's all knowing and he's actively working behind the scenes. So friends, the truth is God is working in our trial.

[17:26] He's not left us, he's right there with us. He's that extra man in the fire as we see in the book of Daniel. So some of the things that we can know when we're going through a time of trial.

[17:41] Another set of three here. God is working in our trial. We can know this, number one, we can know God's control. God has control.

[17:52] He ultimately has. He always has. And it's a comfort for us to know that whatever the situation, God's control is a factor. It's a foremost factor that God has control.

[18:05] And we are under his control. like people have talked about, we can look at a beautiful tapestry, a cross stitch or such a thing, and it's all perfectly made, as my wife likes to make such things of a tapestry, a cross stitch, a pattern, maybe a Bible verse.

[18:28] And it looks all beautiful on the top side, but when you turn it over and look underneath, as much as my wife even likes to keep the messy side tidy, it really looks messy.

[18:39] It looks messy. There's lots of knots and loose strings underneath that tapestry. And people have reflected how, in a way, that can be how things look. It looks like everything's, if you look at something from the top, it's all neat, orderly and beautiful.

[18:56] But sometimes the bigger picture, we forget the bigger picture when we just look at the top side. And we all want our life to be all nice and orderly and tidy.

[19:08] But sometimes life on the underside, it's a bit messed up and tangled and things aren't always how we'd like them to be. But nevertheless, we can know that God is looking from above and God has it under his control.

[19:25] Sometimes we only see the tangled bits, we don't see the tapestry that God is weaving of our lives. And the Bible tells us that all things work together for the good, to them that love God.

[19:38] Romans 8, 28. So friends, know that he is faithful and he is with you in the time of trial and testing. God is working in our trial and we can know that God is in control.

[19:51] God is in control. Secondly, we can know God's comfort. God's comfort. Friends, it says in 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3 to 4, and the context is that he is the God of all comfort.

[20:02] It says God comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort where we ourselves are comforted of God.

[20:14] Our God is the God of all comfort. He loves and he cares. You are not alone. You are never alone. Even though sometimes it seems that way.

[20:25] As the Lord told Paul, he tells Paul, my grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in weakness.

[20:36] Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. That's 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9. So the Lord can comfort, he can strengthen, he can help you in your time of need.

[20:49] God is working. Know that God is in control. Know God's comfort. And thirdly, know God's care. Know God's care. He careth for you. He waits to take all of your cares.

[21:01] Now sometimes we miss this. We miss this. We're holding on to all our cares instead of casting them. He wants you to cast your cares upon him.

[21:14] The one who cared enough to save, the one who cares, he cares for your cares. All of them. And he understands, he knows our griefs, he knows our troubles. He knows and he's deeply touched.

[21:27] His big heart was filled up with such compassion as he saw the needy ones. Now look through the gospels. He's constantly interacting with the lowly, with the forsaken, with the neglected, with the ones who were left out.

[21:45] And he cared enough to touch them where they were at. And his heart is touched today with your life, with your needs. And he wants to sustain us through times of crisis.

[21:57] Look at how the Lord Jesus, he always took time for people. Zacchaeus hiding in the tree, the woman who touched the hem of his garment, the children as he laid his hands on them and blessed them and prayed for them, even the demon possessed.

[22:11] God has time for you. We sometimes wonder, does God care? Even in the little things of life, we can take for granted.

[22:23] There's a story told about a woman that was concerned. She locked her keys in the car. She was in a hurry to get home. And someone said, just grab a coat hanger to pull the key out, the lock out.

[22:40] But she didn't know how to do this. And so she prayed. And then some strange fellow, strange looking fellow came along. He looked a bit of a rough dude.

[22:52] And she said, God, is this what you sent to me? And she told the man how she was concerned. She had locked her keys in the car, how her daughter was home and sick and needed her.

[23:05] And in less than one minute, the man had opened the car with the coat hanger. And she hugged the man and she was so glad. She said, thank you so much. You're a very nice man.

[23:17] And he said, lady, I'm not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft. And I've only been out for about an hour. And then she said, oh, thank you, Lord, for sending me a professional.

[23:31] You know, God cares. He truly cares. You know, sometimes we don't stop to pray, to ask him for his help, to ask for his care, to take that moment, to think God truly cares.

[23:42] He truly cares. And sometimes we take it for granted amidst thanking him for his care. God cares for us in every trial as we sing. God is our refuge and strength, the very present help in trouble.

[23:55] Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea? Friends, God is our refuge and strength. When we feel the pressure, the heavy burden, God cares.

[24:08] He is our refuge. He is our strength. When our heart is heavy, the Lord Jesus is precious and he delivers us. He helps us to learn to trust him more. He never leaves us.

[24:18] He's always with us. And even in the fire, even more so in the fire, even more so in the flood, he's there to help, to support, to get us through, to bring us victory in the midst of hardship.

[24:33] And we all had those times. Tell me about time of flood. We had a flood in our house a couple of times and it was disaster, you know, and it was overwhelming for my wife.

[24:45] Friends, we all have moments where the world just collapses all around us. But friends, he never leaves us. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. He's always there with us.

[24:57] So, another set of three, I know you've got, you've probably, I've lost track myself now, but another set of three about what can we do with our cares.

[25:09] This is some practical things now. Actually, there's seven things here. Seven things you can do. What you can do with your cares, all right? So, take a note here. Number one, read the Bible.

[25:21] That's obvious, isn't it? Read the Bible. Read the Word of God. Get a hold of His promises. The Bible can help you. It can uplift you and encourage you. You know, dive deep down into the Psalms and see the love and grace of God.

[25:36] His mercy, His truth, His blessing, His refuge for you. Hide God's Word in your heart.

[25:47] Stay in the Word. Read the Bible. Secondly, pray. We can ask the Lord to deliver us from worry and concern. It tells us that we should be careful. In other words, don't be full of care.

[26:00] Be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. It's saying, do not worry.

[26:14] Turn your cares over to God. It says, don't worry. Be careful for nothing. But pray about everything. Most of the things we worry about, we can't do anything to change.

[26:28] And most of the time, the things we worry about don't even happen. Let's be honest. So, you're wasting your time worrying. It'd be better to put your time into praying. Amen?

[26:38] So, pray. Another one, take one day at a time. Nothing you have done is too much for God to handle. There was a man who wrote this.

[26:50] He said, I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly, my Lord was speaking. My name is I Am. And he paused and I waited. He continued, when you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard.

[27:05] I am not there. My name is not. I was. When you live in the future with its problems and fears ahead of you, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not.

[27:15] I will be. When you live in this moment, it is not hard. My name is I Am. I am here. God is with you. He's the I Am. He's with you.

[27:26] Take one day at a time. Know that God is with you. And nothing is too big for God to handle. It says, our Lord tells the disciples, take therefore no thought for the morrow or tomorrow, because the tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

[27:48] Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Don't keep worrying about tomorrow. Don't keep worrying about the morrow. Don't keep worrying about the future. One day at a time. You know, like the song goes.

[28:01] There's truth there. Sometimes we fret and fuss about the future. He's the I Am. One day at a time. Knowing that He has the future in His hands.

[28:14] He knows what tomorrow will bring. He'll see it through. If it brings you sorrow or hardship, He'll carry it. He'll carry it. He'll carry it today.

[28:24] And He'll carry it then. So take one day at a time. Another truth is rest in Him. God is the Eternal. God the Eternal is your refuge.

[28:37] Let Him still your wild alarms. Underneath your deepest sorrow are His everlasting arms. It says underneath are the everlasting arms.

[28:49] It says He's loved you with an everlasting love. He's holding you with His everlasting arms underneath you. So you can trust His provision, His grace, His care.

[29:01] Whatever the problem is that's causing you to worry or care, by faith leave it with the one who careth for you. Another truth is to look at the things unseen.

[29:17] We see in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul tells of our light affliction. He knew what affliction was. He was talking from experience. And it says, Paul says, our light affliction, these troubles of now, are really but for a moment, he says.

[29:34] But they work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Why? Because we look, it says, we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen.

[29:45] Well, the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So look at the things unseen. The things unseen. Have that eternal perspective for your life.

[29:56] Paul says even, well, He Himself was going through and had gone through and would go through amazing sufferings. He called them a light affliction. And you know, the afflictions of this present time and look, we've all got aches and pains and situations and concerns and natural times of stress.

[30:20] Let's face it. It's human. We've all got times of fear or grief or affliction or anxiety or body and soul. Paul says, just shift the focus to the things unseen, to the glorious, the eternal.

[30:37] That, these things of life are light afflictions in comparison with eternity. They are but for a moment. It's just, bang, gone. Eternity awaits.

[30:50] May we have grace to see those things unseen, those eternal things. And Paul writes again that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

[31:03] So, we'll look back from eternity. Think of it, friends, one day, we're going to be, as it were, as it will be in eternity, you know, we will be in eternity and we will look back at this short lifespan that we've lived and it will be just momentary, won't it?

[31:19] The trials will be momentary and we'll have no more pain, no more anguish, no more sorrow. So, look at the things unseen. Take heart in that. And another point, trust Him.

[31:32] Trust Him. Commit thy way unto the Lord, it says. Trust in Him. He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 56, 3, What time I am afraid I will trust in Thee.

[31:44] I will trust in Thee. Make that a confession of your heart. when we're feeling sick or distressed. And look, I know there's real situations that people, the housing situation is under a lot of constraint.

[32:02] There could be some people amongst our number here this morning that could become homeless. Now, there's situations you don't even know about as a body of people that I get to hear about.

[32:14] You know, I get to hurt for people. When we're feeling sick and distressed, hear the Word of God.

[32:28] Commit thy way unto Him. Trust in Him. And trusting in God means we don't lean on our own understanding. You can't sort out this mess by yourself.

[32:39] You need to trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not onto thine own understanding. Your own understanding isn't helping. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths.

[32:50] Sometimes we've got to stop our own thoughts and lean on His. Lean on His thoughts. Try to find God's way in all of it.

[33:02] Mark 4, there was a time of storm. The disciples on the sea of Galilee, a great storm came.

[33:13] The waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. And here's our Lord, verse 38, He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow, and they awake Him and say unto Him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

[33:27] What a question. Did they not get it to say, Master, carest thou not that we perish? What a question.

[33:39] What an affront to the Lord that they would dare question, do you care? Do you not care that we perish?

[33:51] And He arose and rebuked the wind and the sea. He said, Peace be still. The wind ceased. There was a great calm. He said, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Friends, worrying about things comes so natural to all of us.

[34:07] It's the kind of default, isn't it? We worry. I do. I worry. Sometimes I neglect to pray. And praying should be the first thing that I do. We can be like the disciples, panicking, doubting.

[34:24] Lord, you don't care. Of course He cares. It's truth. He does care.

[34:36] And He says, Fear not. Fear not. He says it 75 times. Apparently in the Bible, God says, Fear not. And the disciples here to overcome with fear. They doubt in God's care.

[34:47] It's lack of faith. Do you believe? Believe. Stop doubting. Be content.

[34:59] Rely on God. Trust in Him. Those difficulties, you can give it to Him. And He can use the hard times to cause us to trust Him more. Trust the Lord to help you.

[35:11] You can't fail. God can't fail. Commit it all unto the Lord. All your experiences, all your past, all your doubt, your worries, your fears.

[35:22] Leave it to Him. Trust that He will do all things well. Humble yourself and trust Him without complaining. And He will give you the peace that passes all understanding.

[35:39] Just lastly, one more thing. Most importantly, give Him your burdens And cares. He wants you to give His burdens to you. He wants you to give your burdens unto Him.

[35:54] If you're carrying burdens and cares, stop it. Stop carrying them. Cast them. By faith, cast thy burden.

[36:10] Cast thy burden upon the Lord. And He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be me. I know there was an occasion where I think I was preaching something alike to this and I said, get that cigarette packet and cast it.

[36:30] That was just one picture or something. Not having a go on smokers here present. But whatever it is, that's a burden for you. If that's a burden for you, cast it. If unforgiveness is a burden for you, cast it.

[36:43] If fear is a burden for you, cast it. If you're worried about something, cast it. Just physically scrunch it up and throw it unto the Lord, whatever it be.

[36:57] Just somehow get that thought, I'm going to give it to Jesus. That's what I'm going to give it. Because He's the one who cares. And you know, honestly people, He says, come unto me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

[37:12] Take my yoke upon and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart. You shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, my burden is light. Cast your burdens upon the Lord.

[37:27] Cast them. Stop carrying them. Give Him your burdens. Prayerfully. You can do that by faith right now. You can say, yes Lord, I'm going to give it right to you now.

[37:39] I'm going to commit it to you. I'm going to leave it with you. I'm not going to go looking for it and taking it back. I've given it to you. It's yours. Trust Him to take care of whatever is that care for you.

[37:52] And the Lord Jesus is in this verse here. It says, casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you. The Lord Jesus is here and He's telling you what to do. Leave your burdens with the Lord.

[38:05] And once we cast our burdens on the Lord, He takes them from us. It's got the sense here that it's verse 1 Peter 5, 7. Cast the whole of your anxieties.

[38:17] The whole lot. All. All your anxieties. All your troubles. All your cares. All your concerns. And it's got the sense to cast your all once and for all.

[38:29] It's the sense of it. That you cast it and it's in His hands. You cast all that care and He takes it once and for all because He cares for you.

[38:42] So we've seen, just to quickly recap, what cares and troubles we carry. They're manifold and there's burdens galore here amongst us. But we all know where to put them, don't we?

[38:54] Who to give them to. When troubles come our way, it brings a refining. It brings a learning. It brings a growing. God's doing something good here. How can God help us?

[39:06] He's in control. We know God's control. We know God's comfort. We know God's care. What can we do with our care? Pray. Read the Bible. Take one day at a time.

[39:17] Put your faith into action. Rest in Him. Look at the things unseen. Don't get all caught up with the circumstance. Look at the things unseen and trust Him.

[39:30] But most important, everyone, please. Number seven, casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you. Give Him your burdens and your care.

[39:43] And He'll take them. And He'll deal with it. Let's pray. Lord, we thank You that the heaviest burden is our sin. And You took that burden all the way to the cross and You nailed it there in the person of Your Son.

[39:59] There You died on the cross in our stead. The penalty, the payment was made. That reckoning of our sin was fully reckoned and paid for there.

[40:11] Lord, we pray each one might know that heart's comfort of the grace of God that can take our sin and pay that price for it. Lord, we pray each one might know that saving grace, that salvation that is assured, the promise as we trust, as we by faith receive the grace You've given.

[40:31] Lord, we pray. Help us, Lord, as we all face tests and trials, maybe more and more to come. Yet, Lord, this fiery trial is just a foretaste of the glory.

[40:45] Lord, we know the refining is going to be seen, our faith purified and strengthened. Lord, that our needs can be fulfilled in terms of Your absolute care.

[40:57] And whatever that looks like, we can trust in that. Lord, even though there's testing times ahead, we can know that You are in control and we can rest in that and all Your promises.

[41:11] And Lord, we can cast all our care upon You for You truly care for us. Pray for any troubled souls here this morning that You would be very close to them. And Lord, help us to have that assurance.

[41:24] In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Thank you.

[42:01] Thank you.

[42:31] Thank you.