1 Peter 5:7 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
The burdens of life are like a heavy backpacks that we carry around everywhere we go. We might be at work but the invisible emotional or financial burden will be heavy on our hearts. We are weighed down, wearied and worried by the burdens of life. Life is like a race and if we run the race with the backpack, we will be slowed down. Hebrews 12:1b let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
There are three different burdens that we carry in the race of life. There are people who carry the “backpack of responsibilities”. These people assume that the organisation, church or their homes will come to a standstill if they are not in absolute control. There are others who carry the “buddle of their sticky past”. These people wallow in their past hurts and will be nursing wounds that are as old as 10 years. There are others who carry the “baggage of resentment”. The nature, character and personality of these people will be controlled by the bitterness, unforgiveness and self righteousness that they drag along with them. Jesus said come to the cross, offload your burdens and life restful and peaceful lives. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Mark 11:28).
Three reasons people why do not ‘let go’ of their burdens:
1. Manipulate: We find comfort in control. We cannot trust God enough to let go of control. Our burdens will become light and insignificant when we learn to lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus. Rather than tell Him how to fix our problems, we must learn to surrender our plans into His hands. Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. When we learn to “let go” God will shut the wrong door, open favourable doors and lead us into the green pastures. God does not need our suggestions; He is Omnipotent.
2. Mend: We try to mend what we have messed up. We cannot trust God to fix our mess. We want to paint it, cover it and conceal it to make it look pretty and untouched. He is the one who can heal the brokenness in our hearts. Psalms 147:3 He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. When we surrender the burden into His hands, He will mend it and turn the burden into a blessing. Isaiah 43:18-19a “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.19 See, I am doing a new thing! God does not need our expertise; He is Omniscient .
3. Master: We try to muster our strength to master the burden but when we try with our own strength the burden will crush us. Peter, the experienced fishermen was willing to accept “the Carpenter Jesus”, as his master. Luke 5:5 “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When we allow the Master builder to take over our mess, our burdens will turn into blessings. He is El Shaddai.
The burdens of life will become our breakthroughs only when we learn to surrender and ‘let go’ into the Master’s hands.
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.
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