Praying God's Wisdom: What's Burdening You?

Pilgrim's Progress by Douglas Ramsey

 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22

 Have you ever read the story Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan? If you have, I wouldn’t be surprised as it is one of the most famous books ever published¹. It was written while its author was in prison for 12 years because he was a minister operating outside of the state-sanctioned church and tells the story of a man who is tormented by his sins and seeks salvation. Guided by one of the many allegorical characters, Evangelist, he escapes the City of Destruction and faces perils like the Slough of Despond, the Village of Morality and the Enchanted Ground – which were patterned after real places in John Bunyan’s community¹. In this story, Christian, the main character, carries a burden, a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil representing the weight of sin and guilt that he bore. This burden is with him over the course of his entire journey, even once he passes through the Wicket Gate (representing faith in Christ), because it is not until he chooses to lay his burden down at the cross of Christ that he could be free of it.

 Today’s verse entreats us to cast our cares, our burdens, on the Lord. I looked last week at a few of the reasons that this might be difficult for people as I considered Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be healed.” We might struggle to acknowledge the burden we carry, we may be too attached to it, seeing it as a part of who we are, or the fear of change could be so overwhelming that we prefer the devil we know over the devil we don’t. The thing is, it’s not an unknown devil we get when we cast our burdens on Jesus, it’s God’s perfect provision and sustenance. It’s just that the unknown that can be so intimidating for people. But change is inevitable…

 The verse goes on to say that God will not allow the righteous (godly in the NET) to be shaken. That doesn’t mean we won’t be affected. Hard times will come. Unexpected surprises, many difficult, are a part of this life. But remember, they were unexpected by us, not by God. When we are taken unawares by life’s circumstances, what does this verse tell us to do? Take it to God. He saw it before it came, even though we didn’t. He already has a plan in place, one that may have been working out for years, to deal with it. We don’t need to worry or stress, we just need to lean on Him and set those burdens down at His feet.

Unburdened by Douglas Ramsey

 This morning, before I did my study, I received a call from my son who lives on the other side of the state, far away from me. He was letting me know that he had been in a car accident. This wasn’t the first time I’d received a call like this in the morning where he had been hit on his way to work, so when the phone rang and I saw it was him, I was a little prepared this time. Before I even answered, I felt myself laying whatever the situation was at the foot of the cross. Thanking God that he was well enough to be able to call me, that this wasn’t the end of his time here with me. As he began to relate the story of his accident with me, I started thanking God that He had covered my son and provided for him in the midst of the chaos, guiding his mind, his heart, his hands to control the vehicle so that it didn’t roll, preventing his car from impacting others as it spun around on the freeway in the midst of rush hour traffic. God was in the midst of that whole situation, and I know He has all of the fallout covered: from insurance reports to missing work to getting the car fixed or replaced. God has it all, and even better, He’s got something to teach each of us in it too. I, for one, feel an even deeper sense that God can and does watch over my children, that He cares about them even more than I do and that He is far more capable of providing for their needs.

Here's the Thing: Casting our cares on Jesus isn’t always as easy as it seems, but its benefits are beyond measure.

       1-      10 Things You Should Know about The Pilgrim’s Progress | Crossway

I was so moved by the artwork featured in today's post. Both of these paintings were done by an artist named Douglas Ramsey, who gave his permission for me to use them in this post. You can find his art here if you'd like to see more or order prints.