Our burdens come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some arise from sin, some through troubles at home or work, some through discouragement or disappointment in the work of God, some through physical trials-the list is endless. But whatever our burden, there is help for us. The psalmist tells us what we are to do with our burdens and, by inference, what we must not do.

When our hearts are burdened, we must not doubt the goodness and wisdom of God. We will never cast our burden on Him if we do. We must not succumb to a murmuring spirit or indulge in self-pity since that keeps us focused only on our burden and not on how to get rid of it. Furthermore, we must not try to devise our own plan of escape. God has the only plan for relief.

First, we must humbly accept burdens as gifts from God. The Hebrew word for burden means “that which is given.” The trouble you’re experiencing hasn’t come to you by chance, but is from the hand of God. He has placed it on you for some very gracious purpose. Accept it as such. Second, we must give the burdens back to the Lord. With the hands of faith and prayer, we throw our burdens at the Lord’s feet since He alone has the strength to carry our burdens and to sustain us in our affliction. Do not try to carry what God never intended you to carry. Remember what Joseph Scriven wrote:

Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.