What burdens are you carrying these days?
iStock
"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens" (Psalm 68:19, NIV)
"Blessed be the Lord! Day after day he bears our burdens; God is our salvation. Selah" (Psalm 68:19, CSB).
"Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude" (Psalm 68:19, NLT).
Have you ever had a blessing that became a burden?
Have you ever grown tired of propping up, picking up or carrying around something you always thought you wanted but now only want to get rid of?
If you or I were God, and I am so, so glad we are not, you and I would get really tired of carrying around some people. It appears, doesn't it, some people of adult age still act like babies?
Their impulse control rivals that of a hot and bothered two-year-old shouting, "NO!"
Our Father in heaven's perfect love is characterized by endless patience and kindness. The Apostle Paul emphasizes this at the beginning of his masterful description of love that seeks the highest good for others in 1 Corinthians 13:4. He writes, "Love is patient, love is kind." The more we walk with God, the more we are immersed in his goodness, the more patient and kind we become.
God not only bears our burdens, in his patience and kindness, he bears us. "For each day he carries us in his arms," (NLT).
Even when you and I act like overgrown babies, our Father in heaven carries us.
When we should know better and behave better, our Father in heaven carries us.
When we are tired, grumpy, and could use a nap, our Father in heaven carries us.
When we are powerful when we should be patient, our Father in heaven carries us.
When we are at our wit's end, our Father in heaven carries us.
On and on this list could do. So how do we respond to this extravagant goodness and this endless love?
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Praise God for who he is. Thank God for what he does. Imitate God in how you relate to others. Give God everything that weighs you down.
I am too much for some people to bear from time to time. How about you?
There is one time in my life when I distinctly asked God if he had set me down and set me aside. Years later, standing in the very place where I asked that question, he showed me in rather grand fashion how he had not only not set me down or aside, but he was carrying me still.
As you carry on today, remember who carries you. Praise him. Thank him. Imitate him. Give him all your burdens.
Our Father, your love is perfect. It is patient and kind. Thank you for not only putting up with me, but for carrying me. Thank you for never putting me down or setting me aside. How good you are at all times and in every way! Amen.
 | David Bowman, (DMin, PCC) is the Executive Director of Tarrant Baptist Association in Fort Worth, Texas. He also serves as a Multiplying Trainer for Future Church Co. Learn More » |
More on Spiritual Growth and Soul Care
- 5 ways to ignite engagement (by Mark MacDonald)
- Why Paul didn’t exercise his “right” to be a “full-time missionary” (by Jordan Raynor)
- AI and leadership: the essential skills AI can’t replace (by Christian Muntean)
- Words of advice to a young minister (by Richard Blackaby)
