Today's Bible Reading: PSALM 39-41, 53, 55, 58
Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
We get burdened about so many things. Finances, friends, family, and our future can all weight heavy upon us. They all can press down upon us. They can demand our attention and dictate our actions. They occupy our thoughts and overwhelm our emotions. We can easily become paralyzed and perplexed as we seek to resolve the issue and release our burden. We even at times feel trapped and ensnared. We become engulfed in our predicament. We find ourselves enslaved with no hope of freedom.
The psalmist must have had a similar situation. Like us, he appears to be struggling to hold on because nothing is holding together. So here he gives us a word for our worry. He speaks of hope in the midst of our distress and a source of help for our dilemma.
He relays an insight from his incident. He discovered that the Lord is the load lifter. He is the burden-bearer. His is the one on whom we can cast our concerns. He is capable of bearing the biggest of your burdens. There is no concern that He can’t carry, there is no crisis that He can’t control and there is no conflict that He can’t contain. He doesn’t care how heavy the load, but only about the one who is bearing the load. He can bear it. Cast it on Him. He can and will take upon Himself the problem that has brought about your pain.
It might seem strange to you, but it is by His hand that He has permitted this heaviness to fall upon you. He has providentially placed the burden before us so that we could place it upon Him. The trials that test us are meant to be turned over to Him. He has suffered these struggles to befall us, so we could see His sufficiency in bearing them. We must trust the Lord to bear what we find unbearable. In Him we find the one who is capable enough to carry us and our concern. He is able to bear what you cannot. He laid this upon you so you could lay it upon Him.
He is the remedy for your burden. But it must be placed on Him. We must find Him enough to bear whatever burdens us. The release that He offers is only afforded to those who respond in faith. You can either try to carry it yourself or cast it upon the Lord who is willing to carry it for you. You must decide whether or not you will hand your heaviness over to Him. He will not take what you do not turn over to Him. Stubbornness causes your struggle to remain, but submission and surrender redirects it to the Lord. It is either in your hands and under your control or in hands and under His control. So, choose to “cast your burden on the Lord”.
He relieves your burden. When anyone casts their concern upon the Lord, He responds by sustaining and supporting them. The psalmist says, ‘he will sustain you”. He will supply what we lack to bear through this burden. He will provide His power to hold up your burden and He will provide His presence to hold you up through the burden. His sufficiency will bear your burden and His compassion and care will bear you up. He will sustain you through the most trying of tests so that you can bear through whatever burdens you.
He also promises to “never permit the righteous to be moved”. We all stumble and are shaken when burdens fall upon us. Our solid footing falters and our own strength fails to support us. Our faith flounders as we seek to continue under the constraint of our cares. Our vigor and vitality vanish. We stagger and slip as we try to find some spiritual stability. Yet, it is in Him that we find the stamina and strength that we need to continue. He holds us and helps us. He grips us when we begin to falter and grabs us when we fall. Your burden may shake you and your faith, but because of your trust in Him, you will never slip away from your faith. He has you and He holds you.
Today thank the Lord for His capability to carry your burdens. Ask Him to help you to refrain from trying to manage your trials without Him. Thank Him that He will sustain and support you no matter how heavy your burden or how wobbly your faith. Thank Him that you can cast your burdens on Him. Praise Him that He delights in being your burden-bearer.
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