Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
What burdens do you find yourself bringing with you today? Perhaps some terrible circumstance came into your life yesterday that is weighing heavily on you. Maybe it’s some long standing difficulty that you’ve been unable to get rid of. Whether that be chronic illness, broken relationships, depression, anxiety, habitual sin or anything else; burdens are hard to bear because at the very least they are simply heavy and cumbersome and at worst their effect can stretch into so many areas of our lives.
In the story, Pilgrim’s Progress written by John Bunyan, the main character, Christian, comes to realize that he is carrying a burden on his back after God’s word revealed it to him. Once he realized how large and heavy this burden was, he wanted nothing more than to have it removed. So off he went, searching for the one who would remove it from his back. Along the way he met others who would try to help him, but to no avail. Finally, upon reaching the cross of Christ his burden falls from his back and he finds himself in relief and joy.
Our burdens can be so heavy that we think that we need to build up our own strength to overcome them, and yet, the Lord tells us that where we find our true strength and true relief is not in ourselves, but in casting our burdens on him. Only in giving our burdens to him will we find sustaining help and a firmness in where we stand and walk each day. Why? Because while we are easily overcome by our burdens, they are like nothing to our great Lord God.
New burdens may come, threatening to knock you over with their weight, but the Lord will not permit you to be moved, because he is the one holding you steady and secure. Think of how Jesus was able to calm the storm that threatened to take the lives of his disciples. He may not always calm our storms, but we know that he can, and we know that he is with us.
Find your strength in the Lord, casting your burdens on him today rather than carrying them upon yourself, and know that he will be there not only today, but he will be your strength and sustainer tomorrow as well.
