Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

                                                                                                           Psalm 55:22 

What tremendous privileges we have in Jesus Christ. Living a spiritually free life depends on exercising these God-given rights and privileges. Today’s Psalm reminds us of one such benefit. We do not have to live with burdens rather we can cast them on God. This is a reality echoed in the pages of the New Testament as well. In order to appreciate this often overlooked instruction, let’s look at some reasons why burdens come into our lives, equipping us to better identify them and respond by casting them away.

(1) Some burdens come into our lives because of sin. When we make mistakes, the Spirit prompts us to react by renouncing the sin and reclaiming our standing in Jesus. The burden of sin often comes from the enemy (the accuser of the brethren), making our lives miserable. When this takes place, we have forgotten that all of our sin has been dealt with at the cross. Jesus Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). Do we realize what Peter is explaining to us? Jesus took our sin upon Himself, in His own body, through the agony of the cross, effectively making His sacrifice, an atonement (fully paid debt) for all of our sin. Because Jesus has already borne that burden, Christians are not to live with the burden of sin in their lives. Jesus really did pay it all! So cast the burden of failure on God, receiving forgiveness through Christ, and He will surely sustain you!

(2) A similar burden, closely linked to the previous one, is attempting to be made right with God through the Law. People who have a tendency to lean doctrinally in this direction will often find themselves dealing with the burden of sin. Why? Because they fully believe that their salvation is somehow tied to their performance in this life, but it is not. We receive salvation, forgiveness, righteousness, and spiritual freedom by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ without any mixture of our own efforts. Paul reminds us that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law having become a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Notice how Jesus has dealt with the Law and sin of mankind. He handled it in Himself. “He bore our sin in His own body” and “He freed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse Himself.” This is why religion cannot replace the power that comes from knowing Jesus and having a personal, saving relationship with Him. So cast the burden of the demands of the Law on God and He will surely sustain you!

(3) Finally, we are often burdened by just living life in a fallen world. Whether it is a burden for others, the world, or just a difficult time we find ourselves going through, the burdens of life can be great. It is times like these that we need to remember, once again, that Jesus Himself understands what we are going through. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but Jesus has walked in our shoes and was tempted just like you and me, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). This allows Him to sympathize with us. He understands the struggles of life so He can offer assistance to those whose burdens seem to heavy to bear. Remember, Jesus tells us that His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). God does not desire His people to live burdensome, defeated lives rather He tells us to cast those burdens onto Him. So cast the burdens of life on God and He will surely sustain you!

As Christians, we are not to be burdened by the things of life the way the world seems to exist. Jesus has borne our sin in His own body, He has become a curse so that we can be freed from the curse of the Law, and Jesus understands earthly, human existence and can sympathize with our plight. And by the way, believers are also instructed to bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), effectively making the church another resource in which we can find help in “lightening” our load. Burdened believers should not be the norm for Christian living. Let’s cast our burdens on Him and trust in the sustaining power of an awesome God! 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

                                                                                                                     1 Peter 5:6-7