22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved. – Psalm 55:22
Burdens
Burdens. Who doesn’t have them? Who likes to carry them? It seems like the older we get the more we accumulate. The more we accumulate the older they make us feel. They fatigue our backs and weary our souls. They remind us of our limitations. They magnify our weaknesses. They remind us of our dependency, which is why God gives them to us.
Have you ever thought of your burdens as a test from God? Not to test our strength or our resolve but our faith. God already knows our weaknesses and limitations. God doesn’t give us burdens to see if we can carry them, rather He wants to know if we can let go of them.
Are we willing to surrender our burdens to God?
Cast
The word translated cast can either mean to throw violently or cast softly. In this context, it is the latter. However, whether we are throwing a stone or casting seeds, one thing is consistent. Releasing. Letting go. It is easier said than done.
Why do we cling to our burdens? Why are they so hard to let go of? Perhaps it is pride. No one can handle my burden as I can. Perhaps it is lack of faith. We say we are going to hand them over to God but we do so with a tether. If God can’t quickly take care of them we’re pulling them back. Maybe it is immaturity. Infected with a martyr complex we’ve become addicted to complaining and dependent upon sympathy. But we need relief, not sympathy.
Regardless of our motivation for holding on, the solution is the same. We need to cast not clutch. We need to recognize that although we are limited, God is not. That is why He tells us to cast our burdens on Him.
Sustainment
It is often said that God will not give us more than we can handle, but that is not true. In fact, He will always give us more than we can handle. Alone. God has made us dependent upon Him. When we cast our burdens upon Him it is He that will sustain us.
The word translated sustain (kuwl) literally means “to measure” or “calculate“. The picture is one of a vessel being “sized up”. What can it hold or contain? God knows our needs. He knows our “duties and trials”. God is going to give the measure of strength and grace sufficient for the task. We can rest assured that the Potter knows, and is sufficient to meet, the needs of his earthen vessels.
Reinforcement
Although the literal meaning of sustain (kuwl) is “to measure“, it suggests much more. While it is true that God knows our limitations, it is also true that He shares His unlimited nature with us. As part of His sustenance, God acts as a “nurse” towards us. This goes beyond the comfort a contemporary nurse may bring a patient. This is more like the tenderness and solace a mother shows to her infant child. We can take our burdens to God knowing that His love is most intimate.
In addition to the tenderness associated with our sustainment, nourishment is also implied. God not only comforts us but He feeds us spiritual manna from Heaven. God will strengthen us with the Bread of Life. When we are faint and weak God will empower us and give us new vitality.
But God doesn’t stop with comforting and nourishing us. Not by a long shot. When we need Him most He lifts us up and carries us. He gets on His knees and looks us in the face. Our emotions betray us. We cannot hide the stress. He sees the strain in our veins. He sees the desire to quit in our eyes. He does more than sympathize with our tears. He gives us relief. He supports us. Is there a greater picture of condescension than the Creator of the universe bearing our burdens? Such is what Christ did when He carried our cross.
Unmoveable
Life’s burdens may seem overwhelming at times. We may become discouraged and question how we can carry on. But God has promised to sustain us. He has also promised He will never permit us to be moved. Whatever trials may come our way, we will ultimately be safe. Burdens may bend our backs and test the limits of our hearts but they will not touch our souls.
Storms may rage and the tempest may cause our branches to dance, but our roots remain unmoved, anchored to the promises of God. He will sustain you and He will never permit you to be moved. When we cast our burdens on God our roots will grow deeper.
Do you trust His promises or are you blinded by your burdens?
Casting Gifts
What are our burdens? In the Hebrew, the word translated burden literally means “gift, that which is given, that which is allotted.” It is important to recognize that the burdens that come our way are not by chance. They are not determined by fate. Instead, they are measured out by God and providently and lovingly laid upon us. You are not a victim. Don’t be blinded by your burdens. Don’t carry them anxiously, hand them over to God in humility.
Let go of your burdens. Take them to your Father in prayer. Be specific. Pour out your heart. The load is too much for you to bear. By design.
After you have poured out your prayers, rest on God’s promises. God cannot fail. Don’t worry about the swaying branches, the roots are secure. No storm will move the cross. Your soul is eternally secured. The Holy Spirit is your guarantee and Christ is your anchor.
Be patient. No farmer retrieves his seeds after he has cast them into the wind. In faith, he gives the soil and the elements time to produce a harvest. God’s timing may not be ours, but it is perfect. Cast your burdens and leave them with God.
Seek the face of God. When our burdens seem overwhelming His image keeps things in perspective. If you don’t know where to begin looking, run to the cross. Jesus is not only the exact representation of our loving Father, He has already born our greatest burden. After He carried it for us He was nailed to it.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 1 Corinthians 12:9-10
♥️♥️♥️