01-15-2023 What to Do with Our Burdens
Text: Psalm 55:22-23
We hear a lot about burdens in the Bible but what exactly is a burden? Burdens are things we carry in our lives and on our hearts that are very difficult and includes obligations or duties that bring us a lot of concern, anxiety or responsibility. It’s a fact of life that we all have burdens. At any given time they can be related to family, finances, health, or even fear. And we all, throughout our life, have let them take a lot of energy and peace from our lives. All of us have had moments when we wanted to escape from relentless problems and pressures. While this is an overwhelming urge that we may or may not have resisted, we know we can never escape by running away. Sooner or later, the problem will catch up to us and when it does, it will likely be worse than before.
But as Christians, we aren’t supposed to let our burdens take over our life and instead, use our faith to see us through. When we find ourselves in a position where we just want to run away, we should instead take time to quiet our hearts and minds in prayer and worship, lifting ourselves spiritually to God and running to Him for His cover. Praying constantly is a way to maintain close contact with God and allow us to set priorities for each and every day of our lives. It also reinforces a great anchor of our faith which is allowing God take on our burdens for us. When we do this, we will see how He holds us steady through the difficult period and then sees us through to the end. Why can we do this? Because our tomorrows are already known to God before we experience them. God is already on the job and all we need do is allow Him to take over. We are to let go and let God take care of everything.
Our text this morning comes from Psalm 55:22-23 which say: “(22) Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (23) But You, Oh God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; and I will trust in You.” This psalm was written by David and it’s telling us that we don’t have to carry our burdens alone. God is always there to help us. This is a source of encouragement to all true believers. All we need to do is take our problem to the Lord, leave it there, and let Him work it out for us.
God is waiting to receive all our trials and temptations and we have to exercise our faith knowing that His love is stronger than any enemy we will ever face. There hasn’t been a trial that has yet to overcome a believer so we really have no need to worry or fret about it. That’s what our text is telling us.
We can trust that this will happen because God has placed a boundary of love around each and every believer and it’s through that boundary that every trial we come up against must pass. We know our God is one of unending love, compassion, and grace so we must exercise our faith and allow Him to give us His blessings and keep us safe, no matter what we must face in this fallen world. God is the only one who can cancel Satan’s power. As believers we are safe in the arms of our loving Lord, and we live in the circle of His care. And in His care, no enemy will be allowed to harm us. Take strength and comfort knowing that God has wonderful plans for all His children.
This isn’t always easy to do and there are times that our burdens will overtake us with worry and concern. But if our hearts are right with God and our faith is strong, we don’t have to worry about the outcome of any situation. Instead, all we need do is focus on the last four words in verse 23 of Psalm 55: “I will trust in You.”
There is no question that there are a lot of people in this world that are headed for destruction. Those who are wicked, evil, and unrepentant will face judgment if they continue to reject the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. Our task is not to end up in the company of the lost. But that doesn’t mean we can live as we choose thinking there will be time to repent later. This world is not getting better. All we need do is look around. The time to wait is over. If you haven’t accepted Jesus and think you have lots of time left, I urge you to rethink that decision now. Satan’s greatest weapon is deceit. His only task is to make people believe that all that is of God isn’t real and what is not of God is. He has been amazingly successful in using this weapon. But even Satan’s days are numbered in this world. So, would you rather place your faith and trust in those who are wicked and led by Satan or in the God who loves you and is ready to forgive all your sins as though they never happened? When you chose God, you are completely covered by His love and the stress and strain of daily living goes away. Join King David in declaring your faith in God and I promise that He will never fail you or leave you behind.
While we only focused on the last two verses of Psalm 55 today, I would encourage you to go home and read the entire Psalm. It will provide you a lot of encouragement and allow you to let God take on the burdens that might be wearing you down.
May God bless and keep you today and all the days ahead. Always let go and let God.