The Burden Bearer

by John McCormick, Barrow-in-Furness | Category: General | Jul 1964

There are burdens which come upon us as a result of our own folly. Not of these do we write. Rather do we think of the times when a cloud seems to hang over us, from which there appears no way of escape, causing us to wonder ...Why? Such may take the form of ill-health, trials of various kinds, or even persecution from within and from without. Whatever it may be, we may be sure that God is sanctifying our experience to His glory, and to our blessing. We should earnestly ponder these matters for "chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous, but grievous: yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12.11).

David was a man of wide experience. In his youth he became a loving tender of his sheep, and a skilful and fearless defender in times of danger. These experiences moulded his life, as is seen in his encounter with Goliath in the Vale of Elah, and his persecution at the hand of Saul. He wrote,

"Blessed be the LORD, who daily beareth our burden,

Even the God who is our salvation.(Selah)

God is unto us a God of deliverances

And unto JEHOVAH the Lord belong the issues from death."

(Psalm 68.19, 20)

Each believer knows the soul-satisfying release from the burden of sin, by Him who said,

"Came unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11.28)

That burden is gone, but the burdens of the day will always be with us. We need a daily Burden-bearer. How much lighter would be our task if we followed David's exhortation!

"Cast thy burden (that He hath given thee) upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee. "(Psalm 55.22)

Paul's exhortation is similar,

"In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts, and your thoughts in Christ Jesus"

(Philippians 4.6, 7).

Doubtless it is because we have not yet learned to cast all our burden upon Him that we do not know the peace of God as we should. Isaiah also wrote,

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is an everlasting Rock" (Isaiah 26.3,4).

This is a word of encouragement. The secret of perfect peace is associated with trust in the LORD JEHOVAH, who is the "Rock of ages" (R.V.M.) What a God is ours!

Asaph was in deep distress when he wrote,

"In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord:

My hand was stretched out in the night, and slacked not;

My soul refused to be comforted.

I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. (Selah)

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Will the Lord cast off for ever?

And will He be favourable no more?

Is His mercy clean gone for ever?

Doth His promise fail for evermore?

Hath God forgotten to be gracious?

Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? (Selah)."

(Psalm 77.2-9).

How awful is the great enemy of souls! When the heavens seem closed to our cries, and nothing but sorrow is near, it is then that we begin to ask, "Will the Lord cast off for ever 7" Here is the time surely to rest upon the words, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee," and to remember that there is One in heaven making supplication for us. Asaph had his eyes opened. He began to muse upon the past. He saw God in the, sanctuary and that made all the difference.

"Thy way, 0 God, is in the sanctuary:

Who is a great god like unto God?

Thou art the God that doest wonders:

Thou hast made known Thine strength among the peoples.

Thou hast with Thy arm redeemed Thy people,

The sons of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)"(Psalm 77.13-15)

Here is the answer to all his queries; a God of power that doeth wonders. Then in the words that follow there is a description of the mighty power of God as seen in the moving of the elements. Amid the roaring of the sea, the flash of the lightning, the crash of thunder, the trembling of the earth, like a sound of gentle stillness come the words,

"Thou leadest Thy people like a flock,

By the hand of Moses and Aaron."(Psalm 77.20)

Jeremiah lived in a very dark day. The people had wandered far from God into idolatry. He wept for them, for he loved the people of God. He saw judgements being poured upon them, then the fine gold becoming dim, the sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, esteemed as earthen pitchers: princes hanged up by the hand: young men bearing the mill: elders dishonoured: children stumbling under the wood: all and more - yet, amidst it all, his path never wavered, although he was brought low with grief. The words he wrote have cheered many a soul in sorrow;

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him."(Lamentations 3.22-24)

During the time of his affliction his thoughts remained steadfast. Instead of, 'Will the LORD cast me off for ever?' he wrote,

"For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

For though He cause grief, yet will Re have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies". (Lamentations 3.31-32)

Great indeed is the comfort of God's word in times of trial. Another comforting thought is that we need to realize that God is with us in our troubles. It is the lack of this realization that often causes us to faint under trial. Surely we can apply the Scripture referring to Israel to our own case,

"In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; ...and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old. "(Isaiah 63.9)

Perhaps it was lack of this knowledge that caused Moses to complain to God,

"Wherefore hast Thou evil entreated Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me" (Numbers II. 11, 14).

God never places upon anyone a burden which he is unable to bear. Of course, Moses had cause for complaint. The people were murmuring against him, and for a long time he had endured the murmurings and the grumblings of this people. Note the words,

"Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that Thou shouldst say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursingfather carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which Thou swarest unto their fathers?" (Numbers 11. 12)

Now think of Paul's words in Antioch of Pisidia,

"And for about the time of forty years suffered He their manners in the wilderness. " (Acts 13.18)

Notice the R.V.M.- "bare He them as a nursing-father in the wilderness".

When the people came to the borders of the promised land, Moses said unto them,

"And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place." (Deuteronomy 1.31)

The apostle Paul had many experiences of trial, sorrow, and hardship in the Lord's service. He never complained even though he was brought low and nigh unto death; and there fell upon him daily the anxiety of all the churches (2 Corinthians 11.28). What was the secret of his cheerfulness in it all? He had learned by experience the truth of the words he had penned, "In nothing be anxious". He knew the joy of the peace of God guarding his heart and his thoughts in Christ Jesus. Looking beyond his difficulties in the assurance of faith, he said,

"I can do all things in Him that strengtheneth me"

(Philippians 4. 13).

May we find true comfort in sorrow, sustaining grace in affliction and strength for service by casting our burden upon Him. Then, perchance, like David, like Paul and many others who have gone before us, we shall glorify God and say,

"Blessed be the LORD, who daily beareth our burden."

John McCormick, Barrow-in-Furness | Jul 1964
General