Daily Bearing Our Burdens

Psalm 68:19: "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."



This passage is such a great word of encouragement for Christians . . . for our ephemeral lives often are filled with painfully distressing trials. We all are confronted with burdens in life . . . they are packaged differently for each of us; nonetheless, they are very real and very painful. When David spoke the words of Psalm 68, he himself was reflecting upon the trials of his own life and how he needed the Lord to sustain him through the difficulties. It is good to know that our Lord is genuinely interested in us and is willing to minister to us during our tribulations.



What I find particularly fascinating is David's "processing" through his painful experiences in the following Psalm (69):



1. 69:1-2: "Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold."



Ever felt like you were up to your neck in your agonizing circumstances? Have you wondered if there was any way out? David felt this as he recounted his painful ordeals. The first thing that he did was petition the Lord for deliverance. He knew that the Lord was the only one who could get him through his situation.



2. 69:3: "I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched . . . "



For those of us who believe that we are self-sufficient in resolving any and all of our trials, we, like David, have to realize that we are not able to remedy every circumstance. We need to seek the Lord for His Divine intervention and sustaining peace through our trials. He is the only One Who can give us the strength to pull us through our painful experiences.



3. 69:5: "You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you."



David was willing to think introspectively of himself and confess the sin that he had in his life. We too need to examine ourselves to see if there is any sin in our lives that is impeding deliverance from our painful ordeals. Sometimes we may in fact be the contributing ingredient to our misery due to our sinful behavior.



4. 69:30: "I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving."



Here, David is not trying to trivialize his difficult circumstances, but he is able to praise the Lord despite his circumstances. David is willing to worship the Lord simply for who He is in His ineffable glory and for the assurances of deliverance that God has promised to David.



5. 69:35-36: "For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah . . . . and those who love his name will dwell there."



David was strengthened in the knowledge that the Lord in the end would deliver his people from the bondage of this painful life by ushering them into the blessedness of eternity. David knew that this earthly life would not exist forever, and that those who put their faith in the Lord would see the joy of a "rebuilt Judah (Promised Land)." We too need to be encouraged by the hope that this life will be transformed into the joy of glorification, when we will dwell in the presence of the Lord forever.

Enjoy God's daily presence in your lives, and look forward to the joy of your eternal salvation, when agonizing trials will be a thing of the past.