Laying Our Burdens Down

“Cast your burden on Yahweh and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.” – Psalm 55:22 WEB

The situation made me sick to my stomach.

My mind couldn’t seem to keep it at bay for more than a few minutes.

Every word and action continuously replayed in my mind like a reel.

Did I really say that to her?

Did I do the right thing by responding or should I have just kept my mouth shut?

Do you ever struggle with thoughts that are on repeat in your mind?

Do you struggle to release things to God, even though you know that is what you are supposed to do?

That day I was guilty of letting the thoughts spiral out of control. I know I shouldn’t but occasionally something engulfs my mind that it’s hard to break the cycle.

King David and God go way back, I mean God hand-picked David in 1 Samuel 16 to become the next King of Israel. Throughout the book of Psalms, David is a familiar voice. While not all the Psalms are written by David, he wrote seventy-three of the one hundred and fifty. David writes in different styles, sometimes lamenting, other times praising. 

Psalm 55 is a lament of David to God about the enemies that seem to be in opposition to David. In verses 12-15, he speaks of losing a friend by betrayal. Between his enemies and the betrayal of his friend, David is hurting. He’s experiencing pain from relationships and possibly from the physical harm of his enemies. Maybe his thoughts are on repeat, replaying the hurt that he experienced.  

Have you been there? Has someone hurt you? Maybe it’s a situation where you found yourself on the wrong side and that has caused you pain.

I have too. These painful moments replay over and over in my mind at times. David instructs us to cast our cares on God. That’s great advice from David, but at times I have found it hard to cast my cares on the Lord. I prayed about it, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about the situation or stop me from obsessing over it.

I’ve made progress and I’ve found two ways to help break the cycle of worry on repeat from continuing. It starts with visualizing, I close my eyes, and visualize Jesus on the cross. I walk up to the cross and kneel at his feet. I slowly begin to take everything I am carrying with me off my shoulders. Laying them right there at the foot of the cross. Maybe you aren’t a visual person (I understand – ask me to visualize how something will look and I can’t picture it.) I have one that works for those who aren’t visually inclined.

Draw a cross on a sheet of paper, and start writing down every concern, prayer request, name, situation, etc that you are facing again laying them (writing them) down at the foot of the cross. As I write it down and LEAVE it at the foot of the cross, I visualize carrying those burdens up to the foot of the cross and laying them down gently. I pray over the situation, place it down, and walk away. Leaving it where it needs to be, at the foot of the cross. 

This may seem elementary to some, but it’s been therapeutic in my healing, especially with hurt feelings and relationships. I can’t change people, I can want them to change but I can’t change them, only God can. Instead of spending my energy trying to change them, I leave them where I know God can change them. But honestly, He usually changes me, not them. 

Once you’ve laid your burdens down it’s time to leave them right there with Jesus. I’m not taking them and repacking them to carry them with me, I’m leaving them there, focusing on Jesus. Then I slowly walk away knowing that I’ve left it all at the foot of the cross. I can’t take it back because I gave it over to Jesus. 

Each time those thoughts, situations, etc come back up on repeat I pray about them and lay them back down. It may take a few times before I don’t pick them up again. We have to change our mindset and replace those worries and concerns/cares with what Paul instructed us to think of in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things.” (WEB). Changing our mindset helps us to work through our worries and concerns. We can lay those down at the foot of the cross and allow God to work within us and our situations.

Today let’s visualize or write down our concerns to leave at the foot of the cross and replace those things with truth. 

What do you need to turn over to Christ today?

Which tactic helped you, visualizing or drawing?