After I had read yesterday’s post, Martha came over and shared with me a portion from My Utmost from His Highest. Remember, I’m a stick bundler and I sometimes need a little additional reminder (hehehe). This is the devotional she read from April 13th:
When Casting Your Burden Is Overwhelming
Cast your burden on the Lord.
Psalm 55:22
“We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God, which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him— to literally ‘cast your burden,’ which He has given you, ‘on the Lord….’ If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence.
“Many servants set out to serve God with great courage and with the right motives. But with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon defeated. They do not know what to do with their burden, and it produces weariness in their lives. Others will see this and say, ‘What a sad end to something that had such a great beginning!’
“’Cast your burden on the Lord….’ You have been bearing it all, but you need to deliberately place one end on God’s shoulder. ‘…the government will be upon His shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6). Commit to God whatever burden He has placed on you. Don’t just cast it aside, but put it over onto Him and place yourself there with it. You will see that your burden is then lightened by the sense of companionship. But you should never try to separate yourself from your burden.”
Simply beautiful, huh?! The thing that just showers over me in this is that our burdens are relational with God. Oh Lord Jesus, thank You! How You could take something often perceived as a negative and make it about love is beyond me. But He always does! He is so gracious to us!
Casting My Burden on the Lord
Casting my burden isn’t like tossing it away from me like a snake. “Squeal, shriek, shudder!” Casting my burden is facing the Lord, and directing it to Him. It isn’t flippantly tossing it over my shoulder, saying, “You go deal with it, God!” No, casting is purposed with force and energy. Casting is the hurling of the burden, weight, responsibility, and my response to it upon the Lord. With my response comes my heart and concerns. I’m literally taking the WHOLE ball of wax to my Father to deal with. This is my right as a child of God and responsibility as a son of my Father.
Imagine, our God takes the weight of our responsibilities and covers us with Himself. This makes our burdens invitational – to know Him, experience Him and relate to Him. It isn’t like God doesn’t give us burdens. He lays them on us as a part of living. But the difference between those burdens taking me under and lifting me up is knowing who I am and who He is. God is my Abba! He doesn’t shield me from responsibility and burden but trains me through them. I don’t have to live like the world in doubt and fear. I am His and my burdens are to be borne by Him, with Him, and never apart from Him.
Deeply Casting My Burden
Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
1 Peter 5:7 AMP
Who were chosen and foreknown by God the Father and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and to be sprinkled with [His] blood: May grace (spiritual blessing) and peace be given you in increasing abundance [that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ, freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts].
1 Peter 1:2 AMPC
“The great thing about faith in God is that it keeps a man undisturbed in the midst of disturbance.” ~ Oswald Chambers
And you get your ‘child-like’ back and your joy.
John, thank you for part 2! What revelation…now to learn how to walk in knowing that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Bless you!
“This is my right as a child of God and responsibility as a son of my Father.”
This words are highlighted for me, thank you John and Martha
oh my goodness … this is so very timely …. I am in a season of care giving with all its many responsibilities and its many burdens ….. some of which I am not to pick up but I need to learn how to properly carry the ones I do need to pick up ….
placing one end on God’s shoulder is such a powerful visual …thank you …
Bless you, John and Martha for your discernment to help me see the original plan for my burdens. I too am a stick bundler and too often don’t take the rest that is offered me through ‘casting my cares’. This post gives me the revelation I so desperately need not to cast burden off but cast to HIS shoulder for leaning unto HIS great care and ability to not only carry but teach me through them. Oh, Lord, may I in FAITH receive this word for sustaining and bringing peace that comes from above!!!!! May I be in child-like Faith… Read more »