Casting Your Cares on a Burden-Bearing God

“I cast my cares on God… but they keep coming back.”

If you have ever tried to obey 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” you know the tension. You pray. You tell God you are giving Him your worries. You feel lighter for a moment.

And then the fear creeps back in.

Did I not cast them correctly?
Am I supposed to forget about them completely?
Why do they return?

To answer that question, we need to understand what it truly means to cast our cares and even more importantly, what kind of God we are casting them onto.

What Does It Mean to Cast Your Cares?

You live in a small village of five hundred people. There is no army, no fortress. Suddenly you hear that five thousand armed soldiers are marching toward you. Fear grips your heart.

But suppose there is a mighty king with fifty thousand soldiers who has pledged to protect your village. You send word, pleading for help. The king replies with a sealed promise: “I will protect you. The enemy will not overwhelm you.”

Now what does it mean to cast your anxiety onto the king?

It means trusting his word.

If you trust his promise deeply, your burden will lighten. If your trust wavers, the anxiety will linger. The lifting of the burden corresponds to the strength of your trust.

Casting your cares is not primarily about saying the right words. It is about believing the King.

The same is true with God.

What Kind of God Are You Trusting?

Before we can cast our anxieties, we must settle a deeper question:

What kind of God are we dealing with?

Is He like Pharaoh in Egypt loading people with impossible burdens?
Or is He the kind of King who delights to lift burdens?

The Bible answers clearly.

God the Giver

In Acts 17:25, Paul declares that God is not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

God is never needy.

He is never looking for you to hold Him up. He is not strengthened by your anxiety. He is glorified by His generosity.

You do not sustain Him.
He sustains you.

God the Deliverer

Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Notice the direction of glory. God is glorified not by being your beneficiary, but by being your benefactor.

You call.
He delivers.
You praise.

Casting your cares means calling on Him as the Deliverer not trying to deliver yourself.

God Who Works for You

Isaiah 64:4 contains a breathtaking description of God: “From of old no one has heard or perceived… a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.”

What makes the Lord unique among all supposed gods?

He works for His people.

False gods demand to be carried. The true God carries us.

That means when you cast your cares on God, you are placing them on the shoulders of One who is eager to act on your behalf.

God the Supporter

Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”

Imagine that: God is actively looking for people who will trust Him so He can show His strength for them.

Casting your cares is not inconveniencing God. It is aligning with His desire to support you.

God the Servant-Savior

Ultimately, we see God’s heart most clearly in Jesus.

Mark 10:45 says, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The cross settles forever what kind of God we have.

He does not stand at a distance demanding that we get ourselves together. He comes near. He bears sin. He carries shame. He takes the ultimate burden onto Himself.

If He has carried your sin, will He not also carry your anxieties?

How Do You Actually Cast Your Cares?

Now we can answer the practical question.

Casting your cares is an act of trust in specific promises of God.

1 Peter 5:6–7 says, “Humble yourselves… under the mighty hand of God… casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Notice two truths surrounding the command:

• God is mighty.

• God cares.

Casting your anxiety means humbly admitting, “I am not strong enough to carry this,” and trusting that He is both strong and tender.

Practically, this looks like:

1. Naming the Anxiety

Do not spiritualize it away. Say clearly, “Lord, I am afraid of failing this exam,” or “I am anxious about my future,” or “I am worried about my child.”

God invites honesty.

2. Bringing a Promise to Mind

Anxiety shrinks when confronted with truth.

Isaiah 41:10 is a powerful example: “Fear not, for I am with you… I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Insert your name into it. Hear God speaking personally.

3. Trusting the Promise

Trust is the casting.

It is saying, “I believe You are strong enough. I believe You are wise enough. I believe You care enough.”

When trust settles in your heart, even imperfectly, the burden lifts.

Why Do the Cares Come Back?

Because trust is not a one-time event.

Anxiety often returns like a persistent knock at the door. Casting your cares is not a single dramatic moment; it is a repeated act of faith.

Martin Luther once said that you cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from building a nest in your hair. Anxious thoughts may pass through your mind. Casting them means refusing to let them settle.

When they return, you cast again.

And again.

And again.

This is not failure. It is faith in motion.

Each time anxiety rises, it becomes another opportunity to trust.

Not Forgetting, but Resting

Casting your cares does not mean forgetting your responsibilities. You still study for the exam. You still take practical steps. Trusting God is not passivity.

It means the weight of ultimate outcome is no longer yours to carry.

You act faithfully.
God governs sovereignly.

Philippians 4:6–7 promises that when we bring our anxieties to God with prayer and thanksgiving, “the peace of God… will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Peace is not the absence of problems. It is the presence of God guarding your heart.

A Burden-Bearing Savior

Never cease to be amazed at this truth:

God does not need you to carry His burdens.

He invites you to lay yours on Him.

He is mighty.
He cares.
He works for those who wait for Him.

So when your anxieties return tomorrow, do not despair. Simply return to Him.

Casting your cares is not a one-time toss. It is a lifestyle of trust in a King who delights to carry what you cannot.

If this encouraged you, consider sharing it with someone weighed down by anxiety, or subscribe to our newsletter for more biblical encouragement for everyday burdens.