Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. (Psalms 55:22 NLT)
“Give it to The Lord.” – I’ve heard this advice many times when burdened by something. I’ve probably even advised it to others who were burdened. But what does that really mean? How do we give something to God?
When we’re struggling with burdens and crying out to God to help us conquer them, are we just asking God to watch us sweat as we buckle under the weight? To maybe just wipe the sweat from our brow every once in a while? Are we still expecting to handle it on our own while God just runs occasional interference? Are we gripping our burdens with closed fists then when God reaches out to take them from us, do we pull our hands back – still clinging tightly to the very things we want so desperately to go away? Then, still struggling, do we question God – wondering why he’s not helping?
I don’t think God just wants to help me with my burdens…He wants to take them from me. He wants me to release my grip. My sense that I can take care of it with just a little help from God. To stop focusing on what I think I can do, because I’m getting in the way of what God can do.
The Message paraphrase of Psalm 55:22 says. “Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders. He’ll carry your load.”
We need to change the way we pray about our burdens. If we’re struggling with a habit we can’t break…with pain or regret from our past…with an unforgiving heart…with anger and resentment…whatever it is that we’re gripping so tightly in our fist. Maybe we need to stop asking for God’s help with it and ask him to take it! The key will be opening our fists, releasing our grip, and actually letting go.
The devil will try to convince us that we’ve still got those burdens somewhere. To make us believe that God gave them back, or something. But when that happens – we can boldly proclaim that we got rid of them! We can tell the devil if he wants those old weights then he can go ask God for them, because he’s got them now.
Then we can rest assured that if we’ve really let go and given our burdens to our Savior – they’re gone! We need to let them be! Then we can allow Jesus to replace them with all the good things he has for us.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)