Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. ~ Psalm 68:19 NIV
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. ~ Psalm 68:19 ESV
Refuge - you know, is my word for this year.....what a journey this has been so far and I can't wait for the rest of the journey!!
Last year, I traveled through The Psalms, which was so amazing! On that journey, my Father knew, of course, what my word would be this year and I circled Refuge every time I saw it......its fascinating to me how many times David refers to God as his Refuge! So....as part of my year, I have been hand writing every verse in Psalms that speaks on Refuge. As I am going through, I am also reading what I have highlighted and any notes I have made over the years.
This morning, in Psalms 68, my eyes focused on and remained on verse 19.
Writing verses about Refuge stopped - I could not move on.
This is new and terrifying ground for me....God has never asked me to write focusing on just one verse. It has always been more about life experience and then drawing scripture in. For a skinny minute I asked, are you sure, God? I mean really, look who you are dealing with here! Then He brought me back around - He has always supplied the message, I am just a willing servant.
Burden defined = A load, especially a heavy one.
Synonyms = Care ~ Problem ~ Worry ~ Difficulty ~ Trouble ~ Responsibility ~ Duty
In our circle of people, there are some really really heavy cares - problems - worries - difficulties - troubles - responsibilities - duties.
My BFF and my Mother in Law are both currently the primary caregivers to their mothers. Their mothers are not easy to deal with, they need a great deal and both of them can be very nasty. Both have said some of the most horrible and hurtful things to their daughters. This season is both demanding and exhausting.
My niece just had a precious baby boy - she is sleep deprived and trying to figure out how to be the best momma she can be.
Baby boy was at camp this week - the stories of what these teens are dealing with will hurt your heart.
We have many people carrying many different heavy burdens - battling cancer, fighting to save their marriages, visiting their son in prison, a sick child, a miscarriage, a wayward child making bad choices, chronic pain, death of a parent, divorce, a restless spirit, depression, anxiety, loss of a job.....the burdens are many.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden, Even the God who is our salvation. ~ Psalm 68:19 ASV
Blessed be the Lord! Day after day he bears our burdens; God is our salvation. ~ Psalm 68:19 CSB
No matter which version of the Bible you choose, the verse still says the same thing - God carries our burdens every single day - everyday! 1 Peter 5:7 says "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." I often have the conversation with folks about how in the world do folks get through hard times - through life without knowing Jesus? I know I never would have made it though the storms in my life without God! And you know what? I have more peace now than ever in my life, and I can feel the presence of God more in my life now than ever before! "No faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs through adversity. Tested faith brings experience. You would never have believed your own weakness had you not needed to pass through trials. And you would never have known God’s strength had His strength not been needed to carry you through.” ~ Spurgeon I need God's strength to carry me through. I need God to carry my burdens. I have to give my burdens to Him and let Him carry them for me. 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30 It doesn't matter how big - how heavy the burden or even how small, He cares! He will carry it for you! If it matters to you, it matters to your Father - your sickness, your marriage, your child, your parent, your finances, your grocery list, your job, your to-do list, your time, your home - it all, every bit of it matters to Him, because it matters to His child. Doesn't everything your child does matter to you? How much more, must we and our burdens of any size matter to our Father?! These is my favorite versions of Psalm 68:19......
Blessed be the Lord! Day after day he bears our burdens; God is our salvation. CSB
Praise the Lord; praise God our Savior! For each day He carries us in His arms. - NLT
Would you marinate on this verse today? What especially heavy burden are you carrying? What do you need to leave at the foot of the Cross? Leave it there, and find rest for your soul.
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