Casting Your Cares on the Lord

 

Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” (NIV)

Sometimes people do outrageous acts because of mistakes caused by pride and arrogance, reasoning that they can get away with it, and the laws of moral and spiritual accountability don’t apply to them. But I am reminded of Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Human hubris leads to so many painful and life changing moments, and none have been under the microscope more than David’s grievous sin with Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and granddaughter of Ahithophel, David’s counselor (2 Samuel 11). Why David would risk everything on a moment of lust shows us just how deceitful our hearts are in denying sin’s consequences, and deceiving us of the wrong that we have done (Jeremiah 17:9).

Clearly, for David to commit adultery with the granddaughter of your closest associate is a gut wrenching act that Ahithophel was never able to get over. So when Absalom, the son of David, openly rebelled against his father David, it was easy for Ahithophel to support Absalom against King David, who he hated and despised because of what he had done to his precious granddaughter Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3, 15:12, 23:34). Nevertheless, it was not Ahithophel’s place to seek revenge on God’s anointed, and when Ahithophel threw his lot in with Absalom  it was a bitter betrayal that David felt to the core of his being, since they had been so close as intimates in ruling the kingdom (Psalm 55:13-14).

Ahithophel was a big loss for David and a huge advantage for Absalom (2 Samuel 16:23). David felt a real sense of loss when this happened, which is the historical context for the writing of Psalm 55. David clearly had a troubled mind (Psalm 55:1-2), and as in all things, at all times, with all people, David took his troubles to God in prayer. David doesn’t do a drive by prayer like many of us and hope for God to intervene, but rather, he pleaded evening, morning, and noon, and the Lord heard his voice (Psalm 55:17). God delivered David from the hands of Absalom, not because of David but in spite of him. David deserved the worse from Ahithophel, but he received God’s best because of prayer and grace.

Our devotional verse captures David’s faith, that all of us must seize on to cast our cares on God, for he will sustain us in our darkest of moments and will never let the righteous fall. Please learn this lesson, that regardless of how low we have sunk or what we have done even to ourselves, we must cry out to the Lord and cast our cares on him, absolutely certain that he cares, he hears, and he will help every time! It is that confidence in the power of God to intervene and act in our lives, because he loves us even as he loved David in his sin. The loving forgiveness of God builds a great confidence of hope for the Christian. Even when we are loved by God and forgiven by him, we will still suffer sin’s devastating consequences! David was restored by God but he suffered the consequences of his sin with Bathsheba, which brought chaos and destruction to his family. Ahithophel’s bitterness overwhelmed him, and when foolish Absalom didn’t listen to his advice, he went home and hung himself. Always remember, in human relationships two wrongs never make a right. 

I LOVE YOU, FATHER, FOR NEVER QUITTING ON ME AND BEING THERE TO ACT ON MY PRAYER WHEN I CRY OUT IN MY TROUBLE. AMEN!

Casting Your Cares on the Lord @ Summit church of Christ