The Best of the Portals of Prayer

Read: 1st Corinthians 10:13

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you,”
Psalm 55:22

Our Burdens

The psalmist is referring to burdens on the heart, not on the back. We all know that mental burdens are often worse than the physical, and spiritual burdens are worse than both. These words, however, open up a golden opportunity to do something with our burdens.
We should know that our burdens are inescapable. They come to high and low, rich and poor, saints and sinners, old and young. We can no more than dodge them, than we can fly by waving our arms. Burdens bring temptations. We are tempted to think God is unconcerned. We are tempted to sit and brew in self-pity. We are tempted to become bitter toward life and people.
David advises us to “cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain You.” We notice that the first part of this passage is couples with a promise, namely, “and he will sustain you.” This is the key to understanding the first part of the sentence. Our Lord promises to sustain us. The burden may still remain, but the weight, the drag, the bitterness will be gone. And so it was in the life of the Apostle Paul, who complained of his burden, but the Lord said: “my grace is sufficient for thee” [2nd Corinthians 12:9].

Lord, keep us from becoming embittered under the burdens of life. For Jesus’ sake, strengthen and support us day by day. Amen.

January 24, 1964