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Week of 9/7/03
(Psalm 55:22)
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quotations are NKJV unless otherwise noted. Now on with this week's message...
I am taking a much needed vacation, this being the 7th anniversary of this website. Until the time I return to weekly writing, I will recycle past articles. The following message is from 10/12/97.
Want to stop God from working in your life? It's easy. First, walk in unforgiveness. Second, don't confess your sins, and third, worry. I put unforgiveness first because even if you are not guilty of the other two failings, this one will get you.
Actually, most Christians that I know make a pretty good effort at forgiving others and are also quick to ask for forgiveness. We have discovered through experience that this forgive/repent commandment, while sometimes hard to do, always benefits us in the end. We feel better. But the worry thing is very hard to let go of, and even though we are just as strongly commanded not to worry as we are to forgive and repent, we just keep doing it. In fact, it seems that sometimes we are rather proud of just how worried (burdened) we can be. It means we care. It means we're being responsible and mature. Wrong.
When David penned the verse that opened today's message, he was reliving one of the worst days of his turbulent life. His 24 year old son, Absalom, is leading a rebellion against him and David's trusted friend, Ahithopel, has joined the rebels. This is a very dangerous situation that our favorite redheaded giant killer is facing. As you read through Psalm 55, David's tortured mental state becomes increasingly apparent in every word he uses: enemy, oppression, trouble, terrors of death, fearfulness, horror, fly away, tempest, violence, destruction, deceit, death, hell, wickedness and battle.
Not a pretty picture. But suddenly, about verse 16, David comes to his senses. He remembers that God has rescued him before from troubles just as seemingly inescapable, and He will again. Then, switching momentarily from the first person, he speaks across time directly to us: Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
Notice that this does not say to cast part of your burden on the Lord and put the rest back on your shoulders. He wants it all, but He isn't going to yank it off your back. You have to give it to Him. "Yes, but you don't know how big my burden is." Okay. Is it bigger than having your favorite son and your best friend trying to remove your crown (with your head still in it)? God is not going to stumble under the weight of any of your problems, no matter how heavy they seem to you. He's been working out for a long, long time.
Let me tell you something that really bugs me and I believe perpetuates this unscriptural notion that we are intended to be sort of glorified oxen. It's when I hear Christianspeak like, "God has given me a burden for the poor" or "God put a burden on my heart." I always think to myself, "Really? That's too bad. He took all my burdens." Now I know what these people mean, but it's not a good way to think. This is not just semantics either, because if you think like this, you will be burdened and what was a glorious calling from God will become a chore and a drag.
Still, I can almost hear someone saying, "But Jesus told us to take His yoke upon us. That's a burden." Oh, you think Jesus is a burden? If you read the verse before this He tells us that if we're heavily laden, to come to Him and He'll give us rest, not pile more stuff on our backs (Matthew 11:28). He then goes on to say, "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." In fact, He's saying it's no burden at all. Christ isn't going to weigh us down. He came to lift us up. And whoever heard of an uplifting burden?
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HAVE FAITH IN GOD!
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