Burden Lifter

Are you burdened down today? Many are, and at times feel like it is just going to be this way, to "suck it up" and deal with it. Hmmm. Scripture refutes that last sentence, and "taking our lumps" is not a sign of a righteous, good person, no matter what the defeatists say, with their "Navy SEAL" mentality about the faith. Oh, I hear the many appeals to pick yourself up by your bootstraps, and even though it sounds very noble, it also sounds like we are the ones driving this ship. To which I say, humbug! If we sound weak when we are having trouble handling the weight of life, then it is because "we are weak." Just admitting that very fact is humbling (which is good) and brings us to a point of calling out for help, and God is our helper. More specifically for believers, the Holy Spirit (who is God) is our helper as Jesus said He would be in John 15:²⁶ “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,²⁷ and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

The Holy Spirit is the one who responds when we say "help," and His help will be so life-changing and complete, we will testify to others so they will come to Him for this help. The Holy Spirit is our "burden lifter", and David confirmed this in Psalm 145 in His description of our God following through on His promises. Psalm 145: ¹³ For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.    You rule throughout all generations The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.¹⁴ The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it.¹⁶ When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.¹⁸ The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.¹⁹ He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.²⁰ The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.

As you can read in the above verses, our God is awesome, and He wants to lift the burdens we are carrying. God always keeps His promises, and He will never fail ¹⁴ The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you in hope. Our God is our burden lifter, and He is an expert at lifting burdens, so the best thing to do when we are heavily laden with worry, stress, and the world is closing in on us is to turn to Him for help, and He will hear your cry. I am a living testimony of having weights far beyond my strength, and God has come through to lift my burdens every time. My greatest time of strength is when I admit I am weak, because his strength then comes through to lift my burden. Praise the name of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 12:⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In my prayer time this morning, I sensed God was leading me to encourage one of you, and I know the Word of God does just that one thing. It gives us hope and comforts us when we need it most. My hope for you is that you will let the burden lifter do His work in your life because He loves you so much. Just rest in His promises. As the verses above tell us, the Lord always keeps his promises.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren