Hosanna Restoration Church

If you have ever been fishing, you know that casting can be tricky. When I was a kid, the first thing I attempted was a bamboo pole with a string on it. For the most part it was pretty simple as long as the string was short and you could keep the hook away from your clothes. The graduation to the rod and reel was more than a little difficult. Some of you remember I am sure. I do not know of anyone who used one who did not spend a considerable amount of time untangling backlashes! Next came the old Zebco which only required that you hold in the button and let it go at the proper time. Figuring out just what the proper time was still resulted in some interesting experiences. We could mention many other types of casting such as when people fly fish, or net fish. I think the simplest type is when people sit on boats and simply allow gravity and the water to take it out of sight.

As I picture these things, it seems to me that we could see some parallels to the idea of casting our cares upon God. In truth, God intends that casting our cares on Him be just that simple. The perfect cast would be simply dropping them like a weighted line into the water and walking away. Unfortunately, this is one area where we quickly become like children and manage to mess up the simplest of things. We can understand that it should be easy, but somehow things get tangled.

We intend to throw it but then find the string knotted around the bamboo pole. We get it untied and it hooks our clothes or worse yet it becomes embedded in our skin. At this stage we are still limited even with a good cast because our string is short. As we become more experienced we become better and cast with a reel and get it out there further, but alas the backlash brings us to halt. We finally grow tired of always being tangled the same way and get ourselves a one button rig. We become pretty proficient with it and we are going along well when it manages to jam. At this point we become discouraged to think that we could make a mess at this level. Through all of this, the enemy has been doing his best to discourage us, but so far we have stayed the course.

Interestingly enough, more people throw in the towel after they have advanced than in the early stages of their walk with God. We want to do some magnificent cast. We tend to make it more and more complicated, when in all reality we simply need to graduate to where we sit in the boat with Jesus and just drop it over the side. We don’t have to throw things far away. We simply need to drop them into God’s sea of forgetfulness. It is deep and able to contain all that we will cast in.

This is the way to get rid of the baggage and enjoy what God has in storage for us. This clears the way for our light to shine and for us to enjoy true life and share it. Ready…cast!!