//Lynette Hagin

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be Like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." -Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

I love spring. The flowers begin to bloom. The weather is warming up. Most of us are ready to come out of hibernation and experience the fresh air. It is time to enjoy a little outside recreation after the winter that many parts of our country have experienced this year.

I remember a few years back my husband and I decided to take up fishing for relaxation. It looked pretty simple to me. Just put your line in the water and pull it up. I thought, "Sure! That will produce fish!" I was able to catch some crappie that way. However, I soon realized that to catch larger fish, I would have to learn to cast.

It looked so easy! But after tangling myself up in the line and losing some lures in the rocks and debris, I realized that casting was not nearly as easy as it appeared. I had seen fishermen cast their lines so easily, never realizing that they hadn't learned to cast on their first day. It took practice.

Peter said, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). The Amplified version says, "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."

Then Psalm 55:22 (Amplified) reads, "Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail)."

To live the carefree life God desires for His children, we need to start practicing casting. To cast means "to throw with force, fling, hurl." The Lord wants us to be free from the cares of life. He does not want us to go around with a frown, our shoulders slumped with the weight of the world. He tells us in Matthew 11:28 (Amplified), "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]"

The Lord is concerned about every detail of your life. So cast all your concerns on Him and let Him work them out for you. So many times we think about casting only the big things on Him. But often it is the small things that cause us stress.

Years ago we ministered in South Africa. Our hosts wanted us to experience some of their country's sights. They arranged for us to go on a safari. We were to spend four days at a resort where celebrities stayed and then go to the bush for the remaining two nights. I'm not an outdoors person, but I thought I could handle this for a few days.

When we arrived at the resort, much to my surprise there was no electricity. That meant very little light, no plugs, and no air conditioning. I thought, "If this is the luxury part of the trip, I don't want to go to the bush." Needless to say, it was not my kind of holiday. I know you may be laughing at me right now, but I was raised in the city and I like city life.

Well, this was a care for me. I tried to convince my husband that this was bush enough. But he was pumped about being in an open Land Rover peering at wild animals. It was an adventure to him but it frightened me. I didn't like being just a few feet from a lion.

The guide had told us that one safari highlight was seeing at least one of the "Big Five" game animals: African elephant, black rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard. He said people who take many safaris might see only one or two. Knowing my husband, I knew that he would not leave without seeing all five.

So I took my care to the Lord. I said, "Lord, You know my husband. He has to see all five of these animals. So please let our guide find all of them in the shortest time possible." You may think that prayer was silly, but I was serious.

Well, after a night tour and an early morning tour, we had seen all five. And praise the Lord, I only had to spend one night without electricity. We left the safari and spent the rest of our time enjoying other sights. It pays to cast your cares on the Father.

What are your concerns? Cast them on the Lord! He will work out all of them and turn them around for your good.