The Burden Bearer
Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Have the circumstances in your life ever been more than you can handle on your own? Have you ever had a deadline you just didn’t know if you could make? Financial pressures, discord and division in your family, not knowing which direction to take in an important matter — these real life situations can all get us down. Even the strongest among us have times of uncertainty and stress, when it feels like the weight of the world is upon our shoulders.
Dear reader, if this is describing a situation in your life — be encouraged this day, because our test declares to us that our Lord Jesus Christ is our Burden Bearer!
Whenever we are downcast, whenever are weak and need added strength to carry on, whenever we are lost and cannot find our way, whenever our enemies come against us like a flood, whenever we have a recurring temptation that we cannot seem to shake — whatever the situation — we need only turn to our Lord Jesus Christ! For HE is our burden bearer, the One who gets us through, the One who carries us when we are without strength and undone, the One who truly does feel our pain, and the One who can truly set us free.
The Rev. Dean Erik Hawkinson penned these words back in 1938 . . . “I love every portrait of Jesus, both the prophetic portraits in the Old Testament and the historical portraits in the New. I love him as a miracle worker. I love him as a teacher. I love him as a familiar friend. I love him as a returning Saviour. But under present circumstances, I think I love him best as the burden-bearer. I don’t know of any picture that touches my heart quite so much as the picture of my Lord stumbling along under the burden of the cross — for you and for me”.
Jesus is a burden-bearer. To a pitiful number he is a burden, but, my friend, if Christ is a burden to you, you haven’t learned to know him right. He may give you a burden to bear, as we shall undoubtedly hear, but the primary experience with Jesus is that he releases us from burdens and, above all, the burden of sin. I hope that you have learned to know Jesus as the one who releases you from your burdens and fills your heart with joy and gives you sustaining courage and power and revives your being — for Jesus is a burden bearer.
David was a man after God’s Own heart, a mighty man of courage and strength. As a boy, he faced Goliath and slew him (1 Samuel 17:49-51). He was a good shepherd and even wrestled a lion and a bear to save his father’s sheep (1 Samuel 17:34-36). But there were times when he was burdened and overwhelmed, did not know what to do.
In 1 Samuel 30:4-6, we read: “Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives were taken captives . . . And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters . . .”
Such a dire situation! Mighty David was overwhelmed! But then we read those words which change everything . . . “. . . but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
It is amazing what simply turning to God can do! Our whole outlook can change in an instant when we focus on the Lord! When we turn to Him, and have an awareness that He is with us, nothing seems too big! And that is correct! Nothing is too big! All things are possible!
Dear reader, whenever you are in the valley of despond, whenever you are at the end of your rope, whenever you are overwhelmed and do not know what to do . . . look unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, and He will give you rest.
“Cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
