Casting your burden unto the Lord

Cast your burden on the Lord . . . . You have been bearing it all, but you need to deliberately place one end on Gods shoulder. . . . the government will be upon His shoulder (Isaiah 9:6). Have you ever wished that you could just throw off difficulties and problems, that you could be freed from your cares? Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you (Psalm 55:22). Commit to God whatever burden He has placed on you. Dont 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. Our cares may be transferred to God. He will take care of us. We may place our trust in Him. But often, we do not. We tend to be like the vagabond who was walking along the road with a heavy burden on his back. A farmer with a horse and wagon stopped and called: Friend, climb in the back. Ill take you to town. With much gratitude the heavily loaded man climbed in the back of the wagon. After a while, the farmer noticed that his passenger, although he was sitting in the wagon, still had his heavy load on his shoulder. He called: Friend, lay your burden down. Why are you still holding it on your shoulder? The man replied: I thought it might be too heavy for the wagon. So I kept it on my shoulder. We are often like that. We come to the Lord for salvation, but think we must carry our own load. Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Jesus said: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

We can rely on God: Trust in the LORD forever, for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4 KJV). Often, rather than trusting God, we depend on something that is not trustworthy. The Scriptures warn us not to place our trust in the wrong things . We may not trust in our own understanding. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). We may not place our trust in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes (Psalm 118:8, 9). We may not place our trust in riches. He who trusts in his riches will fall (Proverbs 11:28). Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:17-19). If we trust in God we can be free of fear. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD (Psalm 112:7). Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? (Psalm 56:3, 4). Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and song; and He has become my salvation (Isaiah 12:2 NASB). When we trust in God, we receive grace. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him (Psalm 32:10). We trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:10). He who believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16).

Do not try to carry your own load . Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you (Psalm 55:22). Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

GOD DOES NOT FORSAKE NOR LEAVE US Christians were designed by God to endure and spiritually prosper from life's trials. However, our loving heavenly Father want us to know that as we face the challenges of life we don't do it alone. "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Let's examine two accounts, from the Scriptures, that will give us the comforting reassurance that God and Jesus Christ will "never leave us nor forsake us." He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Hebrews 13:5-6). I will never leave you . . . not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. I will never . . . forsake you. Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful just the everyday activities of life do I hear Gods assurance even in these? We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have Gods assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, Youd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I dont understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me. He whispered, My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.