Time Out

‘Cast your burden on the Lord...’ Psalm 55:22 NKJV

A hiker with two heavy holdalls was walking down a road in 35∞ heat. A truck driver stopped and told him to hop on. Later when the driver looked in his rear-view mirror, the hiker was standing in the truck-bed still holding his bags! We smile, but as Jon Walker points out, many of us ‘stand in the truck of faith still carrying our burdens, thinking they’re independent of the ride we’re taking. We think God can carry us but not our burdens… The Psalmist said, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.” Rest in His power and grace…confident He’s looking out for your best interests. Rest requires dependence, and one sign that you’re not resting in God…is worry…the need to control… Next time you feel overwhelmed…settle into a chair, “Be still, and know that [He is] God…” (Psalm 46:10).’ In this instance, the command to ‘be still’ here comes from a Hebrew word which means ‘to let go, release, lift up’. You’ve struggled long enough; give your burden to the Burden Bearer. Set it down! In order to do that you must do two things. First: practise saying no. If you’re constantly available you’ll end up stretched so thin you’ll be no good to anybody. Jesus didn’t try to please everybody. He prayed, got God’s agenda and stuck to it. God will give you the grace to do only what He has commanded, not what you think or what others would like. Second, value solitude. Turn off your pager and mobile phone. The sign of a well-ordered mind is the ability to sit quietly in one place and linger in your own company.