Burdens can be health, mental or emotional problems, financial, for souls to be saved, loneliness, broken relationships, heart pain or grief, and many others. Our burdens are ours and we have to bear them.
Galatians 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
God wants us to help others bear their burdens by prayer and whatever we’re able to do.
Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Every burden we have is allowed by God. Satan put a burden on Job when God gave him permission. The devil said Job would curse God but he didn’t. Trials are to refine us. We need to be careful when we have friends that are in grief that we don’t discourage them, judge or accuse them. Job’s friends weren’t a comfort to him. Job wanted out of the trial.
Job 3:1-4 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And…said, Let the day perish wherein I was born…in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard…neither let the light shine upon it.
Job wished he had died when he was born. He wanted to have rest. Sometimes that’s how we feel in hard trials.
Job 3:11-13 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?…For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
Job’s friends said God was correcting him and they accused him of sinning.
Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
Job 8:5-6 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
Job’s friend said God was giving him less than he deserved.
Job 11:6…Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
His friend’s said if Job would repent, his misery would be over. You can pray and pray when you’re in grief but your heart will still have a lot of pain. Many times it’s better to keep your mouth shut, to listen, and pray when people are in grief.
Job 11:14-16 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
Be careful when you try to comfort others that you don’t accuse or judge them. God wants us to comfort, love and show compassion to those who are suffering and grieving. You learn more in the hardest trials and how not to treat others.
Job 16:1-5 Then Job answered…I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you…But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and…asswage your grief.
Before Job’s trial he only heard things. It was in his hard trial that he really understood what God wanted him to see.
Job 42:4-6 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
When Job started to be concerned for someone besides himself, for those who hurt him, then his grief started to lift.
Job 42:10…Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also…gave Job twice as much as he had before.
The song “Blest be the tie that binds” says we share others burdens, pray for, and sympathize with them.
“Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love; The fellowship of kindred minds, Is like to that above. Before our Father’s throne, We pour our ardent prayers; Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, Our comforts, and our cares. We share our mutual woes, Our mutual burdens bear; And often for each other flows, The sympathizing tear…”
God gives us grace to bear our burdens. Paul prayed 3 times for God to take away the thorn in his flesh, but God said his grace would be sufficient. When Paul was left with his thorn, he said “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (II Corinthians 12:7-10). We have burdens but God wants us to pray for his grace. By praying and casting our burden on the Lord, we will have grace to bear the burden.
When Absalom and Ahithophel conspired to take the kingdom from him, David wept as he fled Jerusalem. Ahithophel had been his personal counselor and he betrayed David. He was pained in his heart and wanted to get away to rest.
Psalm 55:1-6 Give ear to my prayer, O God…Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling …and horror hath overwhelmed me…Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
You may feel like David and want to get away from the hard trial. Jesus was betrayed by Judas and called him friend. It’s hard to bear when a close friend betrays you.
Psalm 55:7-15 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness…would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about…Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets. For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself…But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Let death seize upon them…for wickedness is in their dwellings…
David didn’t give up but kept praying at evening, morning, and noon. He knew God was still in control. In our hardest trial, we need to cry out to God for grace and comfort. Ahithophel’s words were softer than oil but they were drawn swords. When you cast your burden on the Lord, it doesn’t mean grief goes away but God sustains you with grace. Ahithophel gave counsel to Absalom but it wasn’t taken. Ahithophel went home and hung himself (II Samuel 17:21-23). The root problem of Ahithophel was bitterness. Absalom was killed by David’s men (II Samuel 18:9-15). David still had grief and a pained heart, but God gave grace and delivered him from trouble. Everyone grieves at their own pace. Jacob grieved over 13 years for Joseph.
Psalm 55:16-21…I will call upon God…Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud… He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me…God shall hear, and afflict them…Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace…The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
The saved went out of their way to help others in the church. We need to be willing to give of ourselves, to show we care.
Acts 4:32-35 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any…that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Sometimes our heart will be overwhelmed. At those times, we may need someone to lead us to the rock by the word of God. It may be hard to get in God’s word so he can be our strong tower. When you’re overwhelmed you may be confused or distracted and not be thinking clearly, and it’s then you need to be led.
Psalm 61:1-3 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer…I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
We may not feel like the Lord delivered us, but we can still have confidence he will hear and deliver us from trouble.
Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
(Notes from the Mature Class Bible Study, teacher Edith Tolbert)