Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (Psalm 55:22)

In Psalm 55, David is calling on God to deal with those who are causing him trouble. He is restless and distracted “because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked” (v. 2-3). He is anxious and afraid (v. 4-5). He longs to escape his present situation (v. 6-8). He is most upset because it is not his enemies who desire to harm him, but those who know him personally, familiar friends and companions. As he wrestles with his emotions and thoughts, he comes to the conclusion that God will have to fight this battle for him (v. 16-19).

It is in this context that he gives us his wisdom, to “cast your burden upon the Lord” (v. 22). To cast is to throw, sling or hurl. Burden [yehab] is lot, that which is given; this is the only time the word is used. The verb form means to give or to put. There are other Hebrew words translated “burden” in the sense that we think of, as something to bear or carry.

We are to give back to God what He has given us. Our “lot in life,” that which God in His sovereignty and wisdom has determined to allow to happen to us, is not a burden that we can carry.

God gives us what He Himself will carry.

I think this is a moment-by-moment, and day-by-day decision of our mind and heart and will. We come to God in prayer and ask Him to carry the load. What does this do for us? It causes us to recognize our own inability and weakness, and our dependence on Him. Isn’t this the same picture Jesus gave us when He told His disciples, “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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). We are to be yoked with Christ. We were never meant to walk alone.

What happens when we step into the yoke and let God take the load? He sustains us. The word means to support, to seize, to hold. The promise is that “He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” To be shaken is to be moved, to totter, to be overthrown, to slip or let fall.

Throw your lot in life on God’s strong shoulders. Get in step with Him and allow Him to carry the weight of whatever He has put in your path. Lean in close, and you will not falter or fail.