Daily Devotional

-July 29, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Cast Your Burden In the Lord-

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”

(Psalm 55:22).

Today’s verse is so encouraging: it is a command with two promises attached. If we do our part, God will do His part. David wrote this psalm when he experienced the disloyalty of friends. He is speaking of his close personal friend and advisor Athithophel. When David’s son Absalom usurped his kingdom and sought to kill him, Athithophel turned against David and sided with Absalom.

It hurts to be betrayed, especially by those we love and trust. David sent another friend and loyal servant Hushai back to Jerusalem to thwart the counsel of Athithophel, which he did. It led to David’s overwhelming victory over Absalom and those who fought with him. Absalom was killed by Joab, and Athithophel killed himself after his counsel was rejected.

It is a great verse to memorize; we had it as one of our Scripture memory verses at church. David realized that only the Lord could bear his burden, sustain him and keep him from being moved.

David says, “Cast your burden on the Lord.” In times of distress, difficulty, and despair, the Lord is with us. The Lord is our Burden Bearer. He bore our sins on the cross, and He daily bears our burdens. He wants us to cast our burdens in Him. His shoulders are broad and His arms are strong, and He is with us to help us all the day long.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” There is no burden that our Lord cannot bear. Our Savior Himself was betrayed by Judas. He suffered rejection and was crucified for us. He had no one to bear His burdens; Jesus knows first hand how our burdens burden us. He desires to bear our burdens when we bring them before Him at the Throne of Grace.

The Lord promises to sustain us and keep us from being moved. The definition of the word is sustain is, “strengthen or support physically or mentally.” This is exactly what the Lord does for us. As believers we can certainly add spiritually and emotionally to that. Recently two star athletes, Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles have been overwhelmed by mental fatigue and pressure that has taken them out of competition. Other athletes have suffered from depression and it is a big issue in our society today. We are so blessed to be sustained by God’s strength. He showers us with mercy and Grace daily.

The Lord also promises us that we shall not be moved. He is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. Nothing moves Him and He won’t let anything move us. Mavis Staples wrote the song entitled, “We Shall Not Be Moved.” One line says, “Well I’m on my way to heaven, we shall not be moved; On my way to heaven, we shall not be moved. Just like a tree standing by the water’s side, we shall not be moved.”

May we cast all our burdens, one by one on the Lord and leave them there. The Lord shall sustain us and we shall not be moved. We can face anything from anyone at anytime with the Lord. Paul wrote, “If God be for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31)?

Have a blessed day casting your burdens and cares on Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean