Set Free From my Burden

Psalm 68:19 (HCSB) ~

May the Lord be praised!

Day after day He bears our burdens;

God is our salvation

Matthew 11:28-30 (HCSB) ~

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

With noses bent to the ground, we carry our burdens. Each one's burden is different. It may be the burden of worry about a chronic illness, or the burden of caring for a sick family member.  It may be the heavy load of financial issues.  Or perhaps we carry the fear, loneliness and anxiety. Whatever it may be, that burden weighs us down, bends our heads and shoulders, and it is difficult to carry.

Yet, God wants us to give that burden to Him.  He is standing beside us, offering to carry it.  But we wave Him away.  We say, "It's okay."  "I have it."  And our backs continue to ache.  Our joints creak. And the burden gets heavier. And the Lord still quietly stands there, willing to lift that burden so we can stand straight and tall.

We carry it because that's all we have ever known or we've developed a pattern of worry that is hard to break.  We carry it because we find it difficult to trust.  We carry it because part of us enjoys that burden. We're used to it. We aren't sure what it would feel like not to lug it around. We get attention because of the burden. There are a multitude of reasons we could continue to hold tightly to that bundle.

I want to encourage you today to let it go.  Put it in the Lord's hands.  Trust Him and know that He is capable of handling it.  Believe that He will work out all the details of the burden you carry.  Be set free! The freedom and lightness you will feel is amazing. The rest you will experience as you trust the Lord will refresh you.

Lay that burden down and let the Lord carry it for you.