God Will Sustain You

I realize that many of you may struggle with fear and worry. I struggle with them too, and so did the apostle Paul – after all, we are human beings living in a fallen world.

People often come to my office, and they’ll talk to me about a problem they are having, and it’s a big burden. Most of the time, it’s not made up. It’s a real thing. It weighs heavily on them, to the point that they can’t sleep, can’t eat, and can’t concentrate.

Maybe that’s where you are right now. And if so, I want you to know the Lord tells us to cast our burden on Him, and He’ll sustain us. He’ll never allow the righteous to be shaken.

I have this big book on my desk. It’s a book about Egypt, and it probably weighs about 15 pounds. It’s a large, heavy coffee-table book. Let’s say this book represents your burden—this thing that’s eating your lunch, interrupting your sleep, and stealing your joy and peace.

You have it on your back, and it’s weighing you down. You’re not able to endure it. Here’s what the Lord wants you to do. He says …

"You need to give that burden to me."

You may say, “Well, I’ve done that, but I’m still worried. I’m still bothered.”

That’s because what you’re really doing is showing the Lord your burden. You are not really casting your burden on him. The common scenario looks like this:

“God, this is my burden. It’s just too much for me. I need You to take it from me.” (Sounds good so far, right?)

But before you even say amen, you take up your burden again. Sure, you’re showing the Lord your burden, maybe you pull your hands back for a second, but you’re not really letting go. You’re like a boy trying to show his mom how you can ride a bike without holding onto the handlebars.

“Hey, mom, quick look at me,” and then his hands are immediately back on the handlebars.

I want to encourage you to try this instead. Cast your burden on the Lord, trust Him to sustain you, and then leave that burden there with Him. Claim His peace, the peace He promises to you in His Word.

When you find yourself worried about a burden you’ve already given to God, you know it’s because you’ve picked it up again. So when that happens, just pray, “Lord, I’ve taken this burden back. I don’t want this. I’m going to trust you instead. I’m leaving this burden at your feet and taking hold of your peace.”

Even if you have to pray that prayer one hundred times a day, do it. Keep giving that burden back to God. When you feel worried, stressed, and bothered about it, treat that like an alarm, reminding you to get back on your knees and prayerfully return your burden to Him.

As you train yourself to keep giving your burden to the Lord, you will find that one hundred times a day turns into fifty times… and then twenty times… and then two or three times. That is precisely how you will learn to cast your burdens on the Lord and leave them there with Him. That is how to experience peace in the midst of a storm.

God is the source of your peace. He wants to give and help you retain your peace. He wants to sustain you when you struggle to remain in His peace.

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1. What burden is weighing heavily on you? Pray and ask God to take it away and give you peace to release it fully to Him.

2. How can you help others find the peace of God for themselves? Write down three ways that come to mind, and ask God to show you someone with whom you can share the peace of Christ this week.