Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you…    (Psalm 55:22)

About a year after starting to serve at the church, I was invited to participate in a golf tournament that was raising money for our outreach ministries.  After praying to begin the day, someone said, “Please join me in my cart.  I want to share my faith journey with you.”

He began by saying that he had been a successful banker.  During an economic downturn, he was laid-off.  He had no prospects.  He had just built a new house. He couldn’t pay his bills.  He became seriously depressed.

One night he asked God for help and proceeded to open his bible to today’s passage: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you…”

He believed that God had answered his prayer in this message.  He knew that if he didn’t cast his burden upon the Lord he was going to break.  By God’s grace, he did indeed trust that with God’s help he and his family would get through that tough time. They did.

As the man was telling me his story, he was also giving me the very message I needed to hear. Things were rough at church. I felt burdened to motivate the community, burdened because my efforts seemed ineffective, burdened that I might fail.

That night I got on my knees and prayed, “Lord, I cast my burden upon you.  It’s your church, not mine. Once more, I cast my life, my service, into your hands.”

It would be misleading to say that my burdens were instantly lifted away; but I will say that the more frequently and consistently I did cast my burdens upon Jesus, the less burdened and overwhelmed I felt.

We aren’t meant to carry our burdens alone.  Why do we forget that Jesus desires to help?  Why do we insist on trying to manage our cares, anxieties, and worries by ourselves to the detriment of our peace and sanity?

I encourage us to cast out burdens upon the Lord.  Doing so doesn’t mean that our burdens will instantly or magically disappear.  Doing so can, however, give us the reassurance that with the Lord sharing our burdens, no burden is beyond the strength He provides.

Reflection Questions:

1. Are you feeling burdened right now? If so, are you casting your burdens to Jesus, or are you trying to carry them by yourself?

2. I’ve often allowed things to burden me that didn’t much matter.  Have you ever done the same? How come?

3. How do you think Jesus feels when He sees you being crushed by trying to manage your burdens without His help? How do you think He feels when you finally ask for His saving help? Have you ever considered that when you cast your burdens upon Him, you’re delighting His heart?