Exchanging Burdens for Peace

I was in a foul mood. I woke up grumpy, my cell phone dinging at me and dragging me out of a dream that was more of a nightmare. I stood and stared into the fridge, hoping something that resembled breakfast would make itself known. No such luck. My hair looked like someone had attacked me with an immersion blender while I slept. How does that happen?

The day didn’t get any better. I was reading the most boring business book ever for a class I was taking. Bonanza was preempted for a speech by the President. I was out of my favorite tea.

I felt burdened. I was carrying a heavy load, and even my posture showed it in my slumped shoulders and slouchy back. There was nothing major, not one particular item of concern that weighed me down. It was the accumulation of small things, silly things, which I allowed to rob me of joy.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation.

Psalm 68:19

God is present and willing to bear our burdens. He already did everything necessary for salvation, and now he is willing to daily bear our burdens. In the midst of my grumpy day, not once did I turn to him and give him my burdens. I kept them to myself, and allowed the weight that I didn’t have to carry to cause me pain and steal my joy. How foolish is that?!

Earlier in the same chapter of Psalms we are told that God is everything we need. He embodies whatever it is we lack:

A father to the fatherless and a judge for the widows is God in his holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity. Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. Psalm 68:5-6

Did you catch that last part? Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. That’s where I was hanging out, in a parched land. No refreshing water. No green grass or still water. Just desert. The sad thing is that it was a desert of my own choosing. When we rebel against God we rebel against the love and care he has for us. The only person we hurt is us.

God is present. He wants to bear our burdens, your burdens, my burdens, daily. He is accessible to us, and is the answer to every need. We can draw near to him, knowing that he wants good things for us.

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help us in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

If you are suffering today, walking through a desert of your own making, stop. If your desert is bigger than you can handle, and you’re not sure how you got there, sit down. God is here. Draw near to him. Give him your burden. Let him carry it. He can handle it. Burdens that cripple us are light to him.

Now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.

The Lord be with you all! 2 Thessalonians 3:16