March 10, 2020 BURDENS ARE LIFTED
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
Psalm 55:22 “Cast you burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”
“Burdens are lifted at Calvary-Jesus is very near.” Those are words are from a song that was sang around the world years ago. This song was well received because it struck the heart-cry of millions. (If you have never heard the song, check it out on YouTube.) Contrary to God’s design, we have a tendency to carry our burdens alone. For sure, life will see to it that burdens will come our way-no one is immune. Some burdens are relatively mild, while some are extremely heavy, robing us of life, disabling us. How we respond to and how we handle our burdens reflects our relationship with the Lord. It is comforting to know that Jesus knows that we at times have burdens to bear, and in fact, He came in the form of man carrying a great burden. (The burdens we have would not compare to the burdens He bore on our behalf.) How we handle our burdens is critical; our response reveals the secrets of our hearts and it reveals to what degree we are trusting God and depending on Him. Some burdens are hard; the loss of a loved one, life-threating illness, loss of a job, financial ruin, broken relationships, and etc.; we can’t deny the weight of these burdens. This is where the acid test comes-can we and do we cast these burdens on the Lord, confessing to Him that we cannot bear them alone. Casting our burdens on Him means we open our hands, yielding the outcome to Him even though we don’t understand the how or why. Casting our burden on Him is a definite act on our part, but is also continual-we keep casting our cares upon Him. Even if the burden comes as a result of a bad decision on our part, Jesus still invites us to cast our burdens on Him. The Lord wants us to know in the deepest part of our being that HE is the POTTER, and WE are the CLAY. The potter does what He likes with the clay-He forms it and shapes it according to His will. I’m sure that if the clay had feelings, it would not always feel good during the process of being formed. Acknowledging that we are the clay, releases us from having to understand everything and how it is going to work for good, it enables us to live without answers-and that is often the difficult part. Finally, casting our burden on the Lord does not mean that we forget the burden-it means we do not carry the full weight of it. Also, in the body of Christ, we are to help each other when it comes to bearing burdens. Galatians 6:2 tells us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” God cares for us, He understands that burdens can be heavy to bear, and out of His compassion for us, He invites us to cast our care on Him, and He has provided brothers and sisters to come along side and help us bear the burden.
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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