It’s easy and even natural to think that we are responsible for carrying the heavy burdens of living in this fallen world, but God calls us to throw all our anxieties on Him.
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV).
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22 ESV).
God doesn’t desire for the weight of this world to be upon us; He created us and He better than anyone else knows our weaknesses. He knows the worries and cares of this world are too heavy for us to bear. He just asks us to come to Him, entrust Him with our cares, and trust that He will raise us out of the ‘pits of despair’. If you are willing to humble yourself and do that, He will exalt you:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).
Jesus Has Already Carried our Burdens
Through the work of the Cross, Jesus has already carried all of our sins and the burdens that result from those sins. Because of His sacrifice, we have no reason to be carrying the weight twice over, which does no good and only leaves us overwhelmed by trying to bear a burden too big for us to carry.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV).
Instead of carrying our burdens, Jesus calls us to take His yoke. His yoke was to do the will of His Father. (John 4:34; 6:38) We as His disciples are in turn to do the same; we are called to do the will of Jesus, which is to believe in Him, trusting and obeying Him.(John 6:29) That obedience, which we do if we love Him, means surrendering everything–including our burdens–to Him.
The problem is that it takes humility to come in faith to Jesus, admitting that we need Him to carry our burdens and trust Him fully to do what is best for us. Our prideful, independent, ‘we- know- better- than-God’ attitude often keeps us from casting our burdens on the Lord–and leaving them with Him– and it is that very pride that stands in the way of our experiencing the peace and rest God longs for us to have and that He is able to give to us.
Take Comfort Knowing that God Has a Plan
You are not on this journey alone. God, Who is Sovereign and Always Loving, is with you every step of the way. Therefore, you do not need to fear because He walks beside you and is with you through every step of your journey. When you feel as if you’re failing, when you’re crying out in despair, or even if you’ve given Him the cold shoulder, remember that He’s with you and He loves you…there’s no sin you’ve committed that He didn’t die to set you free from, and no need that you have that He’s unaware of and that He isn’t able to meet.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 ESV).
He will hold you up and give you the strength to succeed. Also, take comfort in knowing your life has been laid out by the Lord. God has set out a path and purpose for you, and He desires for you to succeed; through faith in and obedience to Him, you will!
- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV).
- “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 ESV).
- “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 ESV).
Throw All Your Anxiety on God
Take some time right now to go before the Lord and cast all your cares on Him. Let Him know what worries you, why you may be stressed out right now, and take comfort in knowing how deeply He cares for you, His precious and beloved child.
Anxiety is natural for everyone to experience, but as believers in Jesus we have been given a new nature in Him which has given us the power to defeat not only the penalty of sin which is death, but also the power of sin over our lives. (Romans 6:4;2 Corinthians 5:17) The privilege and joy we have as believers in Christ is that we no longer have to carry worry or fear, but we can give ALL of our cares to Him Who gave His life for us in order to set us free from EVERY sin and EVERY concern. All He asks is that we ‘trust and obey’ Him!
May you be blessed and encouraged by these timeless lyrics of the hymn ‘Trust and Obey’ written by John H. Sammis:
“When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain: Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil he doth richly repay; not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is best if we trust and obey. [Refrain]
But we never can prove the delights of his love until all on the altar we lay; for the favor he shows, for the joy he bestows, are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet, or we’ll walk by his side in the way; what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey.”
0 Comments