With life comes a slew of burdens, no matter how old a person is or what his or her status in life is. Burdens can come in the form of financial problems, health issues, or tragic accidents, natural calamities, or wars and other effects of political unrest. Burdens come in the range of shapes and sizes and it can get overwhelming at times. This is why a lot of people turn to Scripture to guide them through life's burdens and help them deal with it.
One of the most common biblical teachings when it comes to life's struggles is to lift or offer up our pain and struggles to the Lord. Specifically, Matthew 11:28-30 sends Jesus' message, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
Also, Psalm 55:22 orders believers to "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved." So how does one "cast" their burden onto the Lord?
Campbell Markham of Beautiful Christian Life explains this in detail, writing, "Peter commands us to take our worries, cares, and anxieties and to energetically transfer them from ourselves." Markham pointed out that Peter did not tell the faithful to simply "throw away" or "forget about" or "pretend" that one's burden does not exist. Instead, Peter urged them to "cast them 'onto the Lord," meaning that the burdens are placed "in His care."
In the Bible, Jesus' apostles are teaching believers to take their burdens and place them into Jesus' hands. This is done through prayer. It is also done by communicating with Jesus himself. One church leader named Rev. J. Patrick Street, who serves as a lead pastor at Redeemer Church in Marion, Texas, shared three teachings from Jesus on how to deal with burdens in an op-ed for the Marion Star.
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1. Take burdens to the right place.
According to Rev. Street, it's important to know where to take one's burdens. Sharing one's burdens with friends and family can offer a short term solution, as the people in one's surroundings can offer support. In fact, in the Bible, Job tried to tell his friends about his burdens and they did sympathize with him. However, they could not really help him with the burdens of life.
Rev. Street explained further that a person "will never be able to run away from the problems," therefore there is "only one right place' for a person to take his or her person and that is to Jesus. The Texas pastor noted that Jesus issued an "invitation" to "Come!" and urges those who are burdened to approach Him for help, just as Scripture says in Hebrews 4:16.
2. Transfer burdens to the right person.
Rev. Street reminded the faithful that it is important to "transfer your burdens to the right person." Jesus explicitly said, "Come to me!," which means that He asks the faithful to approach Him with their burdens because He cares about them and their situation and that He is capable of doing something about it. Scripture explicitly says in 1 Peter 5, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
Rev. Street urged the faithful to know that the Lord can "change what you're facing and how you face it" and that their problems are no problem at all for Jesus. Christians must keep in mind that Jesus cares for them.
3. Trust burdens to the right provision.
According to Rev. Street, people must "trust [their] burdens to the right provision." According to Scripture, specifically Matthew 21, Jesus told His followers that if they believed, they will receive whatever they ask for in prayer. The Texas pastor explained that no matter how God decides to deal with a person's burdens, that person will be assured that God will do it in a way that is right for his or her life, as mentioned in Romans 8:28, and that it will be received through their faith.
Rev. Street points out in the final teaching from Jesus on how to deal with burdens the importance of faith. In Philippians 4:13, the Bible says, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me," as found in OpenBible. This passage speaks of faith. When one person has faith and deals with their burdens by casting them onto Jesus, they become empowered and can "do all things" in Jesus Christ who then "strengthens" them to overcome their overwhelming burdens.
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