"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
How to Cast a Burden—Part 1
"Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." {Psalm 55:22 NASB}
"Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden . . ." {Psalm 68:19 NASB}
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." {Proverbs 3:5-8 NKJV}
"For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.
You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways." {Isaiah 64:4-5 NASB}
A burden is anything that weighs on your spirit, anything that really bothers you.
There are three ways to deal with burdens:
- You can do your best, on your own, ignoring God. Not recommended.
- You can do your best, with you in charge, seeking to be obedient to God's Word. Better, but still not a good idea.
- You can surrender your burdens to God, each day, putting Him in charge and listening for guidance. That is what it means to 'cast your burden on the Lord.' RECOMMENDED.
We are commanded to cast our burdens on the Lord. Every day.
Casting your burden on the Lord means you're transferring ownership of the problem to God; you're giving the burden to God rather than carrying it yourself.
"Trying to fix all your problems on your own only causes anxiety, worry and fear, and these emotions will wreak havoc in your life."1
"When you are at rest about the situation and no longer tormented with thoughts about it, you know you have cast the burden upon the Lord."1
"This does not mean that the burden no longer exists, it just means you are no longer carrying the weight of it. You are allowing God to work it out. You are trusting Him and trusting His Word."1
Exception: If God wants you to take a specific action soon, the emotional pressure will likely remain until you do what you need to do.
Here is what is required to cast your burden on the Lord.
Each day a burden exists:
- Cast your burden on the Lord.
- Trust & obey.
- Be willing to do whatever God says to do or not do.
- Wait until it becomes clear what to do.
- Don't dwell on the issue.
Bring the issue to God, humble yourself before Him, and listen.
Humility, before God, should not be overlooked. This is an important part of 'casting your burden on the Lord.' Otherwise, God may not agree to carry your burden.
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." {James 4:10 NIV}
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you." {1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB}
Tell God you need His help. Then wait for guidance.
God's voice always comes in the context of relative peace—and is never condemning.
If you don't hear anything, there is nothing to be done—at least not at this time. God will make things clear—in time.
Don't expect to hear an audible voice; instead be receptive to impressions from the Holy Spirit.
Recognize that you have a responsibility, while you're waiting, to walk wisely and not give in to fear.
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered." {Proverbs 28:26 NKJV}
"For we live by faith, not by sight." {2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV}
"Be anxious for nothing . . ." {Philippians 4:6 NASB}
"Trust in Him at all times . . ." {Psalm 62:8 NASB}
An important thing to remember that will help you to not dwell on negatives is that you've put the issue in God's hands—and you will do whatever God says to do or not do—whenever He makes this clear.
God may tell you to do something different at the last moment.
So, since you're waiting for God's decision, it's pointless to keep trying to figure things out for yourself.
It also helps to remind yourself that it is now God's problem—not yours.
Dwelling on a problem, unnecessarily, amounts to taking the burden back. This will always be emotionally damaging.
A link to Part Two is below.
1 https://walkwiththewise.org/how-to-practically-cast-your-burdens-upon-the-lord/
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