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In his first letter to the "Pilgrims of the Dispersion", the apostle Peter gives all kinds of advice to young and old alike, and then he tells them:
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV)
These verses remind me of a story that I read some time ago about a vendor on his way to market in a nearby town, in the days when people walked long distances to get from one place to another. The wares that the man was hoping to sell were packed in a big bag which he had strapped onto his back. As he was walking along carrying this heavy load, he was overtaken by a farmer riding an empty horse-drawn wagon. The farmer stopped and invited the weary vendor to get onto the wagon and he would give him a ride into the town. He happily accepted and climbed on. After some time, the farmer turned around and was surprised to see that the man still had the heavy load strapped to his back. Apparently, he had not thought about shedding this heavy load.
The writer of Psalm 55 was also carrying a heavy load. A trusted friend had betrayed him and set his face against him. Because he was a good friend, he had not expected this betrayal, and as a result, his emotional guard was down. He then came to the conclusion that regardless of the state of his mind or the way that he was feeling about things, he could shed his heavy load:
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you." (Psalm 55:22a NKJV)
I would suggest that there is a good possibility — more than we would probably like to admit — that we are quite often like the man with the load. We are burdened down by the cares of this world, like concerns about our children and/or grandchildren, or the condition of our health, or the state of the economy, our country, or our church. During these days of isolation and uncertainty, we may all experience this to some extent.
But it does not matter what the cause of our cares and anxiety is. God calls us to cast our cares upon Him and thus shed our heavy load. He will take care of us.
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, there are so many times when we are burdened down by our daily worries. We pray, Lord, that when we bring them to You in prayer, we will be able to truly shed them and be assured in our minds and souls that You are with us. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Joel Jongkind
Meaford, Ontario, Canada
Reprinted from the PresbyCan Daily Devotional with the author's permission
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