“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (Psalm 68:19 NIV)
Loaded down with bags of groceries, I trudged up three flights of stairs to my new apartment. Why did I rent a third-floor apartment to save money? I yearned for my previous home with its spacious kitchen, garage, and lack of stairs. Most of all, I missed my friends left behind when I moved to a new city.
When I paused on the second floor to rest, a neighbor offered help. Holding my head high, I said, “No thanks” and thought, “I don’t need help from anyone! I can do this myself.”
I fought tears while putting away the groceries and wondered why I could not find friends or fit in. Maybe I should accept help from my neighbor. But asking for and accepting help makes me look weak. My parents taught me resourcefulness and self-reliance. I can take care of myself!
Then I realized I treat God like I did my neighbor. Determined to do things my way, I reject God and His power. Do you ever do the same?
Or perhaps we rely on other people or things, such as possessions, power, our jobs, money, relationships, or achievements. We create idols to worship instead of worshiping the one true God. What happens if we lose these things?
In Psalm 68, David recounts past victories and praises God for all He has done in the past. Verse 19 says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” David praised God for bearing the people’s burdens and saving them from death. Because God brought victory in the past, David believes He will do it again.
In addition, God is faithful to keep His promises. Scripture says, “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Cast all your burdens on God. Every day, every hour and every minute. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to earth to die and reconcile our relationship with Him.
We receive victory and deliverance from eternal death because Jesus bore the ultimate burden of our sin on the cross. As Psalm 68:20 says, “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”
Final words
Friend, perhaps you are carrying heavy burdens alone. Maybe you are lonely like me, or lost your job, your marriage ended, a loved one died, or you suffer a debilitating illness. Praise God for past victories and trust His promises for the future, as David did. Depend on Jesus, not on ourselves or other things in the world. Reliance on anything or anyone other than Jesus robs us of total dependence on Him.
Finally, I accepted my neighbor’s help with carrying groceries, as well as Jesus’ offer to carry my burden of loneliness. Trust Him to bear your burdens, too. All else may fade away, yet Jesus is always there.
