Burdens, and What to Do with Them

The true meaning of keeping the Sabbath is finding inner rest by entrusting all burdens to God, and freeing the soul from worldly worries and anxieties. This spiritual rest allows a peace that honors God and reflects His care, despite life's challenges. By living in this trust, we experience an uninterrupted inner Sabbath and become a testament to God’s provision and strength.

Do you keep the Sabbath? Not the literal seventh-day rest, but the inner rest of which that day was the blessed type. The pause in life's bustle was a parable. It mirrored an eternal hush, for all men, for now, not the hereafter. The Sabbath-keeping that awaits God's people is for all faithful souls. The storms that have swept around it leave it unchanged. They may take it when they will and carry it with them.

Through dusky land and a wrangling mart, they toiled. Their secret souls repeated a holy strain. Their feet grew busier. This is a strain borrowed from the eternal chords and harmonies of the life and being of God. The secret of Sabbath-keeping is in the absence of burden bearing. "Thus says the LORD: For your lives, take care. Do not carry a burden on the Sabbath or bring it through Jerusalem's gates." And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work” (Jeremiah 17:21–22).

And in the words that follow, the continual presence of a king is made to hinge on obedience to burdens. Nehemiah was so urgent that he set his servants at the city gates, as they crowned the grey summit of Zion.

" As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day” (Nehemiah 13:19). And what was true in those bygone days is always true.

True Sabbath keeping is impossible if burdens enter the soul. As well as try to sleep when a party of high-spirited, healthy children is tearing up and down the house and playing hide-and-seek in all the rooms. Care will break the rest of the soul as much as sin does. We will not know the peace that passes all understanding. We must learn to shut the door to the burden-carrying thoughts from the world below. They come up the hill, filling our spirits with their noise and cries.

We do not need to stay to describe the results that burden-bearing brings to the heavy-laden. They are evident in the careworn look, the weary eye, and the heavy step. But, deeper than these, there is no power in prayer. There is no joy in God. There are no green pastures, no waters of rest. As snowflakes in the arctic or sand grains in the tropics will build a rampart before some lowly dwelling, enough to exclude the light, so will worries, each tiny in itself, shut out the light of God from the soul and make midnight where God meant midday.

Burden-bearing sadly dishonours God. As men of the world see the faces of those who claim to be God's children, they may wonder what sort of Father He is. Their faces are dark with the same shadows as those on their own. Whatever a man’s profession is, we cannot help judging him by his children's faces. If we judge God by the views of some of His children, His foes' harshest criticisms are almost true.

The unbeliever may argue: "Either there is no God, or He is powerless, uncaring, or indifferent." "What good will religion be to me?" We are either a libel or a Bible; harbour lights or warning signals; magnetic or repellent. Which we are depends on how we treat our burdens.

Of course, there is a difference between care and pain. We can bear our anxieties. But we must suffer according to God's will. We must not take lightly the sufferings our Father sends. They teach lessons only learned in the school where our Lord learned obedience. The chastened spirit must go softly and withdraw itself to suffer. But accepting the sufferings sent from God is very different from burden- bearing. The Father’s care will be clear. There will be no worries and no fears about the future. To the eye of faith, it gleams like the sunlit sea on the horizon, though dark clouds brood above.

Before we are fully awake in the morning, we feel a hint of depression, as if all is not right. A voice seems to tell a long tale of burdens to be carried and difficulties to be faced as the hours pass.

“Ah!” says the voice, “a miserable day will this be.”

“How so?” we inquire, fearfully. A creditor must be met, a skein untangled, an irritation soothed, and some tempers confronted.

It is no use praying. Better linger where you are, and then drag through the day as you can. You are like a martyr being led to his death.”

We have too often yielded to the suggestion. We have dragged ourselves wearily through the hours, doing our daily tasks. Our hands are engaged and our strength spent by the burdens we have assumed. God is pledged to give strength for all duties that He sets, but not for the burdens that we elect to take on as well.

The one cure for burden-bearing is to cast all burdens on the Lord.

The margin of the Revised Version of Psalm 55:22 thus reads: “Cast your burden on the LORD.” Whatever burden the Lord has given you, give it back to Him. Treat the burden of care as you once did the burden of sin; kneel down and deliberately hand it over to Jesus. Say to Him, “Lord, I entrust You with this, and this, and this. I cannot carry them; they are crushing me, but I definitely commit all of them to You to manage, adjust, and arrange. You have taken my sins. Take my sorrows, and in exchange give me Your peace, and Your rest.”

As George Herbert says, “We must put them all into Christ’s bag.” Won’t our Lord Jesus be at least as true and faithful as the best earthly friend we have ever known? Have there not been, at times, a weariness in us all? We have been too tired or helpless to help ourselves. In those moments, we have anxiously handed our troubles to a strong man. We were sure he would not rest until he had solved them. Surely, He who loved us enough to die for us may be trusted to arrange all the smaller matters of our daily lives!

Of course, we must meet one or two conditions. Then, we can hand our burdens to the Lord Jesus and leave them with Him in perfect confidence.

1. We must have cast our sins on Him before we can cast our cares.

2. We must be at peace with God through our Saviour's work. Then, we can have the peace of God through faith in His grace. 3. We must live by God's plan. We must obey His laws and execute His plans, as far as we know them. We must also wait under the cloud.

4. We must also feed faith with promise, for this food is essential to make it thrive. And when we have done all this, we shall not find it so difficult to kneel, and cast our load, even while we pray upon our God. Then rise with lightened cheer.

Hand Over to Christ the Burden of How to Grow in Grace. This is a very great burden to some earnest people. They go from convention to convention, from one speaker to another, notebook in hand. They are eager to get the "blessing," as they call it. They often care more for the gift than for the Giver. They hear of others' unknown experiences. So, they feel disappointed and self-reproachful.

Equally, a child in kindergarten might fret because he is not entered in the higher classes of the school. But why should he worry about his future progress? His one business is to acquire the lessons set to him by his teacher. Once those are learned, it will be for the teacher to teach his pupil more. He should advance the pupil to positions where quicker progress may be made. We must learn the lessons that the Lord Jesus sets before us each day. We should let Him lead us to a deeper knowledge and love of God.

Thomas was one of the dull pupils in our Master’s school. He could not see what was clear to all beside. But instead of chiding him and leaving him in the dark, the Master paid him a visit. He made the fact of His resurrection so simple that the doubter was able to rejoice with the rest. Don't worry about being dull. It will only mean that the dear Master will give you more personal attention. Mothers give most pain to the sickly, weak, and slow among their children.

Hand Over to Christ the Burden of Maintaining a Christian Profession.

A secret fear keeps many from openly identifying with the Lord's people. They doubt they can hold out. They fear bringing disgrace to their Christian faith and sullying Christ's name. Almost unconsciously, they repeat the words of David, “ Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand . ”(1 Samuel 27:1).

Anxiety about such sacred matters will hide Christ. Like vapour wreaths hide snow-capped peaks. And it is quite needless. He who saved can uphold. As is His heart of love, so is His arm of might. He is able to keep us from stumbling and present us faultless before the presence of His glory. But we shall never know the sufficiency of that keeping while we cling to the boat or even keep one hand upon its side. Only by stepping onto the water, trusting the Master's power, shall we know how surely He keeps what is entrusted to Him against that day.

We must not carry even the burden of daily abiding in Him. Let us rather trust Him to keep us trusting and abiding in Himself. He will not fail us if we do. He will reward our faith with a desire for prayer, Bible study, and communion. These are the keys to unbroken fellowship.

Hand Over to Christ the Burden of Christian Work. How to maintain our congregations? How to hold our ground amid the competition from neighboring workers? How to sustain the vigor and efficiency of our machinery? How to resolve differences among fellow and subordinate workers? How to find enough material for sermons and addresses? These burdens weigh on us. How many workers break down under them! They could bear the work but not the worry. And yet the responsibility of the work is not ours but our Master’s. He is bearing this world in His arms, as a mother her sick child. He is ministering to the infinite need of man. He is carrying on His great redemptive scheme for the glory of His Father. All He wants of us is a faithful performance of the daily tasks He gives.

Let the sailor lad sleep soundly in his hammock; the captain knows exactly the ship’s course. Let the errand boy be content to fetch and carry as bidden. The firm heads know what they are about. They have resources to meet all their needs. And let the Christian worker guard against bearing burdens that the Lord alone can carry. The Lord would never have sent us to His work without first calculating His ability to carry us through.

Hand Over to Christ the Burden of the Ebb and Flow of Feeling. Our feelings are as changeable as April weather. They are affected by countless subtle causes. These include our physical health, the atmosphere, fatigue, and lack of sleep. Also, there are spiritual and inward causes. No stringed instruments are more liable to be affected by minute changes than we are. And we are apt to take it sorely to heart when we see the tide of emotion running out fast. We should question ourselves at such times.

Is our lack of feeling due to sin or worry? If not, we can trust Him. He knows our frame and remembers we are dust. As we pass down the dark staircase, let us hold fast to the handrail of His will, willing to do His will, though in the dark. “I am as much Your own, equally devoted to You now in the depths of my soul, as when I felt happiest in Your love.”

Hand Over to Christ All Other Burdens. Servants with their frequent changes. Employers with unreasonable demands. Unkind gossip and slanderous tales about you. The perplexities and adversities of business. The difficulties of making ends meet. The question of changing your house and finding a new job. Children with childish ailments and youthful waywardness. Provision for sickness and old age. Some have businesses that cause great anxiety. Others are haunted by poverty. Any one of these will break our rest.

One barking dog may break our slumber in the stillest night. One grain of dust in the eye will ruin our enjoyment of the fairest view. There is nothing for us, then, but to roll our burden, and indeed ourselves, on God. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22).

A little boy, trying to help his father move some books, fell on the stairs under the weight of a heavy volume. The father ran to his aid. He caught up with the boy and carried them both to his room. And will our Father do less? He must love us infinitely and be ever at hand. “ Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you ” (1 Peter 5:7). It is a good way to deal with God. If you are unsure of His will, say that you will stay where you are. Or, go on doing what you have been doing.

Do this until He makes clear what He wants and empowers you to do it. Entrust your worries to God. “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3). Expect Him to make any changes clearly known to you, so you won't mistake it, even if you're dull.

Don’t worry about dress, ornaments, or doubtful things. Satan loves to turn the soul’s attention from Christ to itself. It is as if a girl should spend an hour in her room, choosing a dress for her impatient lover, who is waiting. Let her go to him, and if she desires it, he will reveal his preferences to her directly in due time. Get into the presence of Jesus. You will not be left to hazy doubts. You will be told clearly His will, always about one point at a time.

Archbishop Leighton sweetly says: "When you must do or suffer anything, tell God." Burden Him with it. Then, you have done enough." No more care, but sweet, quiet diligence in thy duty, and dependence on Him for the carriage of thy matters. Roll over on God, make one bundle of all: roll thy cares, and thyself with them, as one burden, all on thy God."

If individuals bring no burdens into the soul and give them to the Lord, the peace of God will fill the inner temple. Though the world may be restless, these things will endure. They are the presence of God. Meanwhile, the soul keeps an unbroken Sabbath. It is like the calm ocean depths, untouched by the hurricanes that churn the surface into foam. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7).