Sustained!

Sustained!

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail) Psalm 55:22 AMPC

We read from another psalm of David, a man God testified to as a man after His own heart. We do not immediately know what was going on with David at this time, but as you read the entire chapter from where the verse above is taken, you find him struggling with the noise of the enemy, the oppression and threats of the wicked, and their persecution. You may ask why a man after God's heart should have such nasty experiences, but I am yet to find a place in the bible where God promises His own a life free of trials and tough times. As we read in the verse above, these were words of a man loved by God, yet there were burdens that needed to be dealt with. How does God want me to deal with these burdens?

The verse above charges me to CAST my burden upon the Lord. There is this brief addition to the verse, where it says I should release the weight of it to God. It is like telling me to let go of the weight and allow God deal with the heavy parts. I note quite carefully that it does not say that the burden is totally removed from me; I now have the Most High God helping me with the weight of it. How do you explain the bit about God sustaining me, if the burden is already taken away? Why does God promise me comfort in all my tribulations if there were no hard times to deal with? He does not say He will immediately remove the burden, but that He will hold my hand whilst I carry the burden. 

Could it be that God is more interested in building my capacity and character, rather than my earthly comfort? Could it be that this is His own way of preparing me the right way for the prize that is ahead? His Omniscience makes it clear that He holds and knows the future, and He also knows the right steps that will bring me to the place He has prepared for me. If there was no pressure, how would I value the pleasure at the end? If there was no cross for Jesus, there would have been no crown of life for us who hold on to the end. I must also keep at the back of my mind that some burdens may be temporary; every experience is a lesson God seeks to use to teach me dependence on Him.

Paul had a thorn in His flesh, but the grace of God sustained him through it all. The thorn remained in place, but grace sustained Paul. As the verse above also makes clear, God is able to hold the righteous up in His hand, so that they are not moved. Life's experiences have a way they can lead to compromise or giving up. Picture Job at the depths of despair and depression, losing all he had. However, he knew that God was with him, even in the pits, and we see how his life ended. Even when you do not see physical signs, let the joy of having God on your side keep your heart stable. God is able to preserve to the end all who hold on to Him to the end. Would you? God's time of favour is here.