Cast Your Burden

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

~Psalm 55:22

As many times as I've read this verse, I never caught the significance before, but here is another beautiful, comforting promise from the Lord.  

He doesn't promise to take away our burden; he promises to sustain us.  I find such great comfort in that because it's easy to lapse into self-doubt when it seems God isn't answering our prayers--meaning he isn't making the trial end. 

I've tried to teach my children to not only pray for what they want, but to pray for the strength and the endurance, patience and love to walk with the Lord humbly, no matter how he answers, and no matter what he brings into our path.  

Interestingly, the word "burden" in this verse can also mean, "what he has given you."  We don't often talk about burdens as coming from the Lord, or afflictions as being from his hand--though in the Old Testament that is common language.  Job 42:11 speaks of Job's relatives comforting him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought him--even though Satan did the actions, the Lord allowed it.  

We don't get to see all--we are not God and don't have his perspective, we don't understand why.  But he has sustained me, and walked with me, and carried me, and wept with me for all these years.  I know he cares, I know he's in control.  And this verse reminds me, it's in his nature to strengthen us, to be with us.  I don't have to be afraid that somehow I've fallen from his good graces if he doesn't answer a prayer as I want.  

We tend to think answers should be immediate, healing should be now, promises must be proven.  And yet...Sarah was barren for 90 years, and didn't even have a promise that she had anything to hope for the first 65 years.  The man born blind was blind for 30 years.  The woman who had an issue of blood...bled for twelve years.  The heroes in Hebrews 12 did not receive what was promised.  Surely they all longed and hoped for something different, and likely they even sought the Lord for answers, for help.  Waiting was in God's plan for them.  Sustaining was in his plan for them. 

Daily we learn to rely on him and not the things of this world.  

Oaks of righteousness won't be shaken because their roots have dug deep down for water in times of drought.  They have found water to survive even in the worst of conditions. years of little growth...but the Water of Life was with them.  

But even oaks can die, if they are cut off from the water supply.  That daily habit of casting our burden upon the Lord and looking to him for our sustenance is our life.

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