There is a children's song which tells us to "cast your burdens unto to Jesus". (It even has actions of casting and everything). But as a kid, what burdens do you really have? We should sing this song in "big" church. That is where we need to be reminded.
Psalm 55:22, "cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."
I need to know I can cast all my cares onto God. I do feel overwhelmed with all the pressure as most times, but I don't have to be. I can get help from God! God even offers to help me.
To think about it, most of my burdens are ministry related. I sometimes feel exactly like David where he says, "if I had wings like a dove – I would be outta here! I would go to a place where I could find peace." (Paraphrased verse 6). He felt so burdened he was willing to go live in a desert.
Imagine that? Being so run down that an empty wasteland looks attractive and inviting – just to get away!
Sometimes this is how I feel about my calling. This thing gets HEAVY! And I start wondering about life outside of ministry, in a perceived environment that is less stressful.
But now, reading the Psalm, I have discovered that this is not a new feeling when it comes to people in ministry (or other Christians). David found the key to 'ministry survival'. It's in verse 22 – Be righteous!! Be in right-standing with God. Be close to God!
Why? Think of it this way;
the easiest time to offload a burden is when you are closest to someone (physically). All you have to do is just pass it over. The most difficult time is when you are farther away, then you will use a lot more energy and strength to give the same sized burden over. I.e. the further you are, the heavier the burden. Eventually, you are so far away, you realise how difficult it will be to unburden yourself, that you feel hopeless, you disengage, to eventually quit.
The secret is to stay as close to God as possible. The Psalm says, "he WILL sustain you".
Oswald Chambers says this:
"if we set out to serve God and do his work, but get out of touch with him, the sense of responsibility we feel can be overwhelming and defeating."
"Many servants set out to serve God with great courage and with the right motives. But with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon defeated." (Satan is going to destroy you if you don't stay intimately involved with Jesus).
This Psalm tells us that when we are righteous, God will NEVER let the righteous be shaken.
God will carry our burdens, carry us, help us, protect us/me. We must make sure we stay righteous. God will take care of the load he placed on us, as long as we stay close to him. I.e. my ministry: I must constantly give it back to him. All of it! Then I will not only survive, but flourish!
So, like David, I will trust you!
