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He bears our burdens – by Holly Carr

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“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”

Psalm 68:19

I’m sure we all have had that experience of reading a familiar verse but suddenly seeing something we had never seen before. That happened to me today as I was reading Psalm 68:19 — He bears our burdens. Wait, what? He bears my burdens?? I always thought of the Savior bearing the weight of my sin at Calvary. But still? And daily? What burdens?

Living in a fallen world means that we will always have problems, trials, sorrows, pain. Sometimes they come all at once and sometimes, like the times we live in currently, they can almost seem like more than we can bear. Political strife, church scandals, economic woes, fears about our health and the health of our loved ones, restricted freedoms, children not in schools—it’s unlike any time we have ever known and we are all navigating uncharted waters. Even our church attendance has been affected!  Any counselor, pastor, or mental health worker will tell you that people are stressed to the max, and anxiety and mental health issues abound! So what of you, Christian, in such times? How are you holding up?

Followers of Christ are not exempt from any of the things that plague those outside of faith. At times our “burden” may feel even greater because we want to help those around us and yet we are feeling all the same fears and anxieties as they are. Now we have just added guilt and shame to the list!!  But wait–here comes the Word of God reminding us that we have a Savior who DAILY BEARS OUR BURDENS. Let that sink in. Picture it right now, the Lord Jesus at the right hand of the Father and your burdens Jesus is bearing. He and the Father are discussing them as Jesus is praying for YOU. Your job concerns concern Him too. Your health is even more of a concern to Him than it is to you. He knows how burdened you are about your marriage, your children, your finances, your future. He knows it all, He cares about it all, He bears it all.  While that may be comforting to know that you have a fellow “sufferer”, don’t miss the much greater point–He is able to do far abundantly more than you could ever imagine. He can handle every burden you bear. Your friend who walks through the trial with you brings comfort but probably can’t change a thing. Not so, however, with Jesus. He doesn’t just bear them, He takes care of them. He is able to deal with it all. He may not answer the way you want, but our Tender Father will answer according to what is best. HE. IS. ABLE.

So how can this truth help you today with whatever you are bearing? First, begin by meditating on this truth. Remind yourself that God’s Word is assuring you that He daily bears your burdens. Picture yourself like Pilgrim in the classic book PILGRIM’S PROGRESS. He has that burden of sin weighing him down and feels so free when he can finally lay it down. Unfortunately, after we lay down our burden of sin, we pick up again the burdens of the world and begin to feel weighed down again. But Jesus wants to bear it for you! Let that sink in. He wants to bear it for you. You don’t have to worry about your health-He has you in the palm of His extremely large and capable hands. You need not worry about your finances–the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills has committed Himself to provide for you. Those relationships that are breaking your heart, break His too. He weeps with you and yet He brings you comfort. You are not alone and you are loved. Stop bearing your burden needlessly. Give it to Him. Cast it off. Lay it down. Hand it to Him. Whatever imagery works for you, imagine doing it. Say something like, “Here Lord. I can’t manage this. I can’t handle this. But I know you can. Take this burden and show me the way forward. Help me to walk in faith and confidence in the One who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  Walk in freedom today my friend!

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