Psalm 55:22 - Grieving With God.
Psalm 55:22 (NKJV) Cast your burden on the
LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never
permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 55:22 (NIV) Cast your cares on the
LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let
the righteous fall.
INTRODUCTION
Troubles around him (vv 1-3), terrors
within him (vv 4-5), and treachery next to him (vv.
12-15, 21) combined to make David wish he could get
away from it all (v. 6). It was not easy being
God's anointed king, for with the privileges came
great burdens and responsibilities, and God's
enemies became David's enemies. Leadership is not
easy.
David wanted wings like a dove so he
could fly away from the storm. What he really
needed were wings like an eagle so he could fly
above the storm (Isa. 40:31). How do you get them?
By going into the Holy of Holies, under the
shadow of His wings (Psa. 57:1; 91:1-4). When you
call on the Lord v. 16) and cast your burdens on
Him v. 22), He enables you to overcome.
You cannot fly beyond the storm because
you will find problems everywhere, but you can
fly above the storm. God permits the burdens you
face today to help you "win your wings." Claim
verse 22 and 1 Peter 5:7. [Chapter by Chapter
Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re Psa. 55]
COMMENTARY PEARL
At some point in each life, grief comes
to call. When it happens to you, take your
burden to God.
How does God help us cope with grief?
First, He assures us of His presence. We are never
alone if we know Christ; He lives within us by His
Spirit. Even when you don't feel His presence, it
doesn't change the fact that He is with you every
moment of the day (Isaiah 4 1:10).
He also assures us of His promises. Read
them, learn them, memorize them, trust them, and
let them grow and bear fruit in your soul.
Shortly after Ruth's death, I leafed
through one of her old Bibles. She had underlined
hundreds of verses, often adding a brief comment of
her own in the margin. She especially had
underlined passages in the Psalms that spoke of God's
promise to be with us in times of hardship or sorrow
or loneliness. In the midst of your grief, turn
daily to God's Word, and let its promises
encourage and sustain you.
Which promise of God sustains you the
most in times of sadness? [Peace for Each Day by
Billy Graham]
COMMENTARY
Christ specified the things that are
dangerous to the soul. As recorded by Mark He mentions
the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of
riches, and the lusts of other things. Luke
specifies the cares, riches, and pleasures of this
life. These are what choke the word, the growing
spiritual seed. The soul ceases to draw nourishment
from Christ, and spirituality dies. Christ
cannot carry their burden, because they do not cast
it upon Him. Therefore the cares of life, which
should drive them to the Saviour for help and
comfort, separate them from Him. COL51,2
Let the soul be drawn out and upward, that
God may grant us a breath of the heavenly
atmosphere. We may keep so near to God that in every
unexpected trial our thoughts will turn to Him as
naturally as the flower turns to the sun Keep your
wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and
your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you
cannot weary Him. Take to Him everything that
perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to
bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all
the affairs of the universe. There is no
chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read;
there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to
unravel. SC99-101
ILLUSTRATIONS
Stresses That Fracture
Stress: that confusion created when one's
mind overrides the body's desire to choke the
living daylights out of some jerk who desperately
needs it. No, you won't find that definition in
the dictionary, but right now, I think it should
be. It's been one of those weeks. Know what I
mean?
Overcommitment. Deadlines. Unrealized
expectations. People problems. A stack of phone calls to
return. A couple of major interruptions. Not to
mention an enormous bill from the vet after he
treated our dog, telling us she has some profound,
exotic inner itch or something. My in-box resembles
the Leaning Tower and then one of my
grandsons asks innocently, "Bubba, how come you yell
when you talk?" On top of all that I receive a
six-page letter from a pious soul who feels "led of
God" to correct my position on the day Christ
died, my too-liberal view of eschatology, and my
extravagance for owning two cars. Page after page. From a
guy who doesn't even know me.
I know, I know. I should "turn the other
cheek." I really ought to "see the good in it." On
some other day I'd probably not give his words a
second thought. But when you suffer from stress
fractures, the soft cushion of tolerance gets deflated,
leaving nerves raw and feelings bloody.
A recent Sports Illustrated article
painted a vivid picture: "A stress fracture begins
when the shocks and strains of playing game after
game create microscopic cracks in the outer
layers of bone - usually in the legs and feet. If
the pounding continues and those tiny crevices,
which often go undetected, aren't allowed to heal,
they can enlarge. When the cracks become large
enough to cause pain, they are stress fractures."
Stress fractures aren't limited to
athletes. Microscopic cracks in bones are painful, but
can they match the hurt of a stress-fractured
spirit an aching heart? That's a pain like none
other, isn't it? It's deep. It throbs. It lingers
in the day and haunts you through the night.
So, what do we do to stop the pounding?
Ah, that's the question. "Lighten up" is a
start. Try not to make a federal case out of
everything that happens. Then, laugh more. Admit those
imperfections. Let some stuff go. Don't try to be Wonder
Woman or the all-powerful Mr. Fix-It.
Above all, turn it over to God. Tell Him
everything. He has no problem hearing about our hurts.
Furthermore, He can keep any secret you tell Him. He can
even handle it when you yell.
As the pounding lessens, so will the pain.
Don't let stress fracture you. [Chuck
Swindoll www.insight.org.]
You Never Let Go
Our dog, Flash, is cross between a Jack
Russell terrier and a Chihuahua. He is cute and fast
and loves to play. He loves it when you throw
him the ball. He just has one problem. Once he
brings the ball back to you, he won't let it go.
You can tell he wants to give it to you as he
nudges it toward you. But as soon as you try and
pick it up, he snatches it and growls. Then he
looks at you, as if to say, "Why aren't you
playing with me?'
The dog has issues. So do I. That is
probably why I like him so much. I am just like
Flash, who worries over his toy, constantly moving
it around, never taking his eyes off it. This
is what I do with my problems. I cannot let
them go. I keep thinking about them, feeling sick
to my stomach. All the while, my eyes are on
Jesus and I am saying, "Why aren't You doing
anything about this? I keep bringing it to You.' I
bring my problem to Him. But I forget to let it
go. I forget to say, "I would like You to take
care of this, so I am placing it in Your hands."
When we pray, we are "tossing the ball.'
Laying our worries, our cares, our dreams at the
feet of Jesus. But it is only when we have
emptied our hearts and minds of our worries that He
can fill us up with His overwhelming peace that
passes all understanding. - Susanna Foth Aughtmon
Faith Step: Picture yourself throwing
your "ball" of worries into the sky. Release them
to Jesus's care and ask Him to fill you with
His overwhelming peace. [Mornings With Jesus
2019 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan re
Phil. 4:6, 7]
ONE-LINERS:
Convert your worry time into prayer time.
[God's Little Devotional Bible re Psa.46:10]
When you feel you just can't take it
anymore.....Take it to the Lord! Pastor Larson
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Psalm 55:22 - Cast Your Burden On The LORD,
And He Shall Sustain You.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20150312-1916.html
Galatians 6:2 - Sharing Our Burdens.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230327-0915.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
