Have you ever suddenly awoken in the middle of the night with a heavy burden on your heart? Sometimes this kind of weight is from the Lord and will be lifted when He has accomplished His purpose—for example, an impulse to pray or a strong motivation to do God’s will. Other burdens are caused by sin and weigh us down until we confess them.
But regular, daily burdens are not for us to carry. We tend to think of worries as our lot in life—like responsibilities we’re to handle without “bothering” God. But really our lot is to walk obediently with God and trust Him to do the heavy lifting in our life. Scripture says we are to cast every burden on Him (1 Peter 5:7). We must identify the concern, surrender it into His care, and have faith He will sustain us as He has promised.
Relinquishing our grasp on burdens does not mean we stop thinking about them. We still prayerfully bring them to God, listen for His guidance, and bless His name for bearing worries on our behalf (Psalm 68:19). But our concerns won’t destroy us if they’re set on God’s shoulders. Are you carrying a heavy load? God wants to hold it—and you—in His hand.
