HERE'S HOPE
Psalms 55:22 NKJV
22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
This is an outstanding promise from God. We have an invitation to cast our burdens on the Lord. And not just so we can get rid of the problems that are hindering us, but we find help.
This promise is inserted into a psalm where David is having a challenging time. From verse one David is expressing the pain he is experiencing. David's enemies are once again causing him serious problems. So much so that David wants to escape, wishing he had wings like a bird so he could just fly away and be at rest. I believe many have experienced that kind of pressure at some time.
There was a time when Joy and I were expecting Matthew. Joy had lost her job, and I had a high-pressure door-to-door sales job and was making no money. Between money pressure, first baby pressure, a difficult job, and the strain this put on our marriage, I wanted to fly away. But not having wings, I resorted to sleeping. I slept all the time. So much so that Joy strongly urged me to go to a doctor. After looking at me, a physically healthy 24-year-old man, he diagnosed me as being depressed. I was indignant. After all, I was a Bible school student; I could not be depressed. But the truth of the matter was that I had not learned to cast my burdens on the Lord. Through the mercy of the Lord, I was delivered from that debilitating depression. And over the years, I have learned to get better at casting my burdens upon the Lord.
This promise in Psalm 55 is repeated in the New Testament also. Philippians 4:6 instructs us not to be anxious about anything but by prayer and supplication, asking, let our requests be made known to God. In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to cast all our cares on the Lord because He cares for us. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6 to not worry about our lives. So, our verse for today is not an isolated thought. Over and over, we are told not to fear and fret or be anxious so we can then conclude that being burdened down with cares and concerns is not the will of God for His children.
So what do we do? In prayer, we take the things causing us concern, weighing us down, and give them to the Lord. We thank Him for His promise to sustain us. Sustain means to hold up and provide for. And we thank the Lord that with His help, we will not be moved or shaken.
Don't be discouraged if you have to go back to this place quite a few times. Cares have a way of trying to jump back on us. And it is a major help if you have already begun the spiritual practice of talking with the Lord in prayer and spending time with Him. The stronger our fellowship and thus our relationship with the Lord, the easier it becomes to give Him our cares.
This is a promise that belongs to those of us in God's family. It's our family inheritance that was given to us in Christ. And as we practice casting our cares on Him, it becomes an important part of enjoying our new kind of life with God.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your care for me. I give You my cares, and I know there are answers with You. Thank you for sustaining me and making me stable and strong.