I have a good friend who has walked through immense suffering throughout her life. She lost her mother at a young age. Her marriage ended abruptly because of her husband’s unfaithfulness. She is currently journeying through single motherhood.
When I think of Psalm 55:22, I think of my dear friend. She has cast, and is casting, her burdens on the Lord, and He has been faithful to sustain her. While we might not experience the same afflictions as she has, we all can expect to have burdens to carry.
In life, and specifically the Christian life, there will be troubles, sufferings, and burdens. We can be assured that this is not a possibility but a guarantee. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that it would be.
Oftentimes, we paint the Christian life as one of peace, hope, assurance, joy, and contentment, which is why we can have a hard time understanding Jesus’ words about tribulation. It can easily feel as though the promise of hardship is a mis-type. This is why knowing God’s character is vitally important. God’s love is at the center of His character. His love drives all that He does, including walking with us through suffering.
There is incredible grace found in Jesus’ words, even though they are difficult to take in. Yes, we are promised trouble in this world. We are also promised that God will carry these burdens, like we read in verse 22 of Psalm 55.
Because of God’s great love and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers are enabled to have joy and hope in the midst of tribulation to know that this is not ours to carry alone. We have a Savior who knows what suffering is and can sympathize with what we walk through. Jesus is well acquainted with affliction, as He endured on the cross, making way for us to be in relationship with Him.
Notice that Psalm 55:22 begins with the verb “cast.” While there is great joy in coming to the Lord in our trials, it takes responsibility on our part to trust Him with our burdens. It is our duty to recognize that they are not ours to carry but to actively cast them on, or give them to, the Lord.
Our flesh tells us that we have to have our lives together. This is essentially our pride drawing us to self-reliance. Praise be to God that we do not have to stay in this place of pride, but we can humbly bring our hardships to a loving and gracious God.
Hardships are not a place where it is easy for joy to exist. As we carry these burdens, the easiest response for us oftentimes is to wallow in our struggles. In these moments of struggle and distress, we can trust that those who are in Christ will be sustained and upheld through God’s gracious hand. No amount of trial and suffering will take us from His grasp, even though it feels like it might. This is a promise.
The steady hand of the Lord can lead us to a place of joy in Him, even in our tribulation. This is God’s abundant grace on display to a watching world!
Suffering is a promise for the believer but so is God’s presence and strength in the midst of it. We can walk confidently in all situations knowing that God will not leave us and will keep us until we arrive in our final home – where burdens are no more!
