Sharing Our Burdens With Jesus

Prayer. Is the scope of it limited to ‘presenting our petitions’ before the Lord? Some people have the idea that God is at their beckoning call. Just who is Lord and who is servant? And what does Christ have in mind for those that are His? “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” Eph. 5: 26-27. So - are we walking, talking, sharing with Him? Is He the love of our lives? He should be. . .

Sharing our burdens with Jesus.

Are you weary, are you heavy hearted? Are you grieving over joys departed? Do the tears flow down your cheeks unbidden? Have you sins that to men’s eyes are hidden? Do you fear the gathering clouds of sorrow? Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow? Are you troubled at the thought of dying? For Christ’s coming kingdom are you sighing?

One who is heavy hearted will be weary, both mentally and physically. A lack of true joy is apt to bring forth an abundance of tears. The causes given: sin, fear, anxiety, trouble, longing. . .

Tell it to Jesus.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. . .Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” Heb. 4:15a,16.

Who has not gone into any fast food restaurant to order and not heard the order taker say, Is this eat in - or take out? Do we dare approach the Throne of Grace and ask for a take out? “My God shall supply all your need? O.K. Lord: but “I want this to go.” God forbid! Our God is not a short order cook, geared to give fast service.

Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there?

Another song writer addresses the economy, poor health, pain, enemies, old age. He advises: ‘Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.’ I would venture to say that one who will “leave it there” and return from the presence of the Lord will find the burden still upon his shoulders. The remedy for the burden is found at the Throne of Grace. It is to be found in the Presence of a Person.

“What a fellowship, what a joy divine; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine; O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way; O how bright the path grows from day to day; What have I to dread, what have I to fear; I have blessed peace, with my Lord so near; Leaning On the Everlasting Arms.’

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I AM meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls” Matt. 11:28,29. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there? The scriptures seem to indicate that the burden be taken to the Lord - yes! But that His yoke be taken on in its place. His ‘burden’ is light - so light that we will be resting as we bare it! And ‘learn of Me?’ How shall I learn of Christ by leaving His Presence?

Are you weary? Are you heavy hearted? “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!” Matt. 11:28.

Are you grieving over joys departed? “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” John 15:11.

Have you sins that to men’s eyes are hidden?” “Every branch in Me. . .he purgeth it. . .ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” John 15:1a,2b,3.

What of the ’burden?’ How did we come by it? Is it defective? Is it broken? Are we bringing it back to the place from which it originated? Do we want it replaced with a similar burden? Are we to pick it up later, after it has been repaired? Or do we just want to be shed of it; let it be recycled, trashed?

Burden? or Blessing?

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” Rom. 8:28. Of course this precludes, disqualifies any burden! Right? And God could not possibly allow a burden to beset us that would be in His will and according to His purpose!

“But my God [is He your God, too?] shall supply all your need [He shall supply all You need!] according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Phil.4:19.

On their wilderness journey, Israel cried out against God and against Moses: “no bread, no water - and our soul loatheth this light [insubstantial] bread.” Num. 21;5. The manna that was given from above was rendered a burden rather than a blessing.

My God shall supply all your need that He might supply all your need!

“according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Then - had it been the eternal will and purpose of God - He might have anticipated, seen to it, that we never ever had a need!

And can it be? That my Sovereign has designed, crafted, tailored, orchestrated, personalized a need - just for me? Thank You, O Lord, for this burden; for this need that You have provided (supplied); that I may bring it to the Throne of Grace, acknowledge that You were the Giver, I the receiver. Lord, I perceive that such a valued gift should be shared with the Giver; that I might entrust back into Your hands; that we might share it, together; that I might have reason to give praise; to glorify the Lord of Glory! And was the gift, the need, not delivered along with Goodness and Mercy; with Trust and Faith? The gift of burden is exceedingly precious, for it came from hands that bled for me!

But why? Why would God allow needs, burdens, troubles, into my life? I believe Paul had as good of an answer as can be found in all the Bible: “ I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. . .And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering. . .I follow after. . .reaching forth. . .I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” Phil. 3.

Sharing our burdens with Jesus.

All, I suppose, are familiar with ‘blind Bartmaeus’: “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me” Mark 10:47. It was not until Jesus said, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? that he said, Lord, that I might receive my sight! Do we dare conclude that being in the Presence of the Lord superceded his ‘need?’

And of Mary and Martha who sent word unto Jesus concerning their brother, Lazarus. “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick” John 11:3. This can scarcely be called a ‘prayer,’ but two hearts reaching out; not petitioning Jesus to intercede in their behalf; but a communication, communion; knowing the Lord would be ‘touched with the feeling of their infirmities, and that of Lazarus, whom He loved. . .Understand, we are not to place the circumstances between ourselves and God; but Christ is to be between us and the circumstances. Our focus, not on the burden, but on Christ, the object of our faith. To do otherwise is sadly to trust the arm of the flesh. It is faith - or it is unbelief.

In Matthew 15 we are told of a woman of Canaan: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” Matt. 15:22. “Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me” vs.25. She did not cry for the unsearchable riches from the Lord’s table but of the crumbs which should fall thereby. “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. . .” Great faith may be great in that it is sorely tested, tried, proved.

One other: the woman with the issue of blood: “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole” Mark 5: 27-28. And Jesus was “touched with the feeling of her infirmities!”

All of these accounts well qualify for that which is found in John 11:4: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”

Have you a need? Understand that it came from your God; that you are to acknowledge it to be according to the wisdom and purpose of His Divine will. Realize that if you did not need this need, that He would not have supplied it. Confess the presence of the need; that you can not, must not, attempt to handle it by yourself. Approach the Throne of Grace, the Mercy Seat: approach it (the Presence of God) with thanksgiving and praise and worship, followed by “Thy Will Be Done.” and “Thine be the Glory, forever and ever.” Meet with our Lord: fellowship, commune with Him. His Presence is more than life itself. Let this need help you (help me) to learn to “love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” Deut. 6:5.

All this being said, our need above all needs is for a Saviour. Being sinners and alienated from our Creator, we were helpless - yet willingly so. If we might have repented and come to God strictly on our own - but we could not, would not, so great our depravity. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;). . . That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” Eph. 2:5,6,7. That is, My God shall supply all your need [we have need of His atonement for sin; we have need of His forgiveness; we have need of His reconciliation; we have need of His imputed righteousness; we have need of His Presence!] according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Those well known words spoken by Abraham on the mount: “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” Gen 22:7. Yes. God would provide for Himself a Lamb; He would provide Himself as that Lamb; He would present to Himself that Lamb. He would present us to the Lamb; He would present the Lamb to us! Selah!

A Personal Prayer List.

What do I have need of? My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus - which includes ( though not inclusive): His life, His Light, His Word, His Spirit, His faithfulness, His favor, His Intercession, His quickening, His abiding presence, His enabling power, His sufficiency, His mercy, His grace, His guidance, His indwelling righteousness, His holiness, His strength, His comfort; knowledge, wisdom, understanding, discernment, compassion, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, patience, diligence, virtue, humility.