We recalled the words of our Lord in Matthew 6:34: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” The tragedies of yesterday are left behind us and irretrievable. Tomorrow is always ahead of us inaccessible. God only gives us today as that is all we are designed to deal with. The young man had learned that much. He had given his past to God and daily surrendered the future as well. He was doing his level best to deal only with that day’s troubles. However, on this particular day, the troubles were bigger than his strength could contend with.
I know a young man who has been much frustrated in life over the past few years, and was with him recently when he was turned down for a job had great hope of receiving. He and his wife had seen something of a future with this position. So, when the rejection came through its impact was visible. The man’s strong shoulders slumped in defeat, as his head fell into hands. The weight of the frustration, the confusion, the doubt, and the uncertainty were too great for him.
I imagine most of us have had a day or two like that when it is simply too much for us. No matter how we try, we cannot accomplish the day’s work. No matter how we prepare, the day’s news overwhelms us. We get off balance, we get exhausted, we get blindsided and the littlest setbacks are enough to ruin us. Oh, what shall we do when this day’s troubles are more than sufficient for us?
There is an answer given from twisted Scripture that makes faith a fuel for the process of manufacturing worldly delights out of thin air. The aberration known as the prosperity gospel discredits the promises of God by replacing them with entirely foreign promises that God does not honor. It makes a mockery of real faith and of desperate people looking for some good news amidst the flood of bad news. It leaves us jaded, cynical, and almost unwilling to stand upon the actual promises of God for fear of being too close to the ghetto of name-it-and-claim-it.
So we might think we just do our best and keep on keeping on. The only way out is through, and there is no use in crying about it. Sounds pretty tough. It is indeed, on us! The stress of the repeated strains adds up over time, and eventually leaves us deeply and terribly broken. Fortunately, there is an answer. See Psalm 68:19: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”
Perhaps you have heard preachers like these before, and have come away from them hopeful that this truth would at last set you free from the stress and anxieties that plague modern life. Then life happened, and the verse did not seem enough to contain its unpleasant realities. Verses are not magical totems that ward off evils and temptations simply by being near us.
No, we must first grok them (understand them in such a way that they alter our core being), and then we must act on them. In this article, we will guide the reader through these steps with the words of Holy Scripture to help us along: and perhaps a few choice words from other saints who grokked these truths before us.
God’s Daily Promise
In order to fully understand the import and implication of Psalm 68:19 we must answer two basic questions. First, is God really able to do this? And is He truly willing to do it for us? The answers may be apparent to our minds, but the vision of our hearts is often distorted by specs and planks that need to be removed before we can fully apprehend the wonderful truths of God’s grace towards us.
See Matthew 7:1-4: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”
We ask that our readers prepare their hearts with humility to consider things we already know.
Is God Able?
Jeremiah 32:27: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
The verses of Psalm 68 leading up to verse 19 are primarily concerned with God’s marvelous works leading Israel out of Egypt and into the full possession of the promise land. We can read of all the miracles God performed in Exodus on to Joshua. The prelude to those stories is found in Genesis where God caused an elderly man and a barren elderly woman to conceive a son, and then prospered that son, and his son Jacob.
Then, God took one of Jacob’s sons to Egypt where through a series of ups and downs, Joseph was positioned to deliver his entire family from a dire famine and settle them on the choicest land in all the kingdom of Pharoh. There are many other illustrations of God’s ability to provide for His people as well.
Consider how God sent the raven to feed Elijah in time of need. Consider how he revealed to Daniel that which no one lese could discern. Consider How our Lord cared and provided for His disciples during his time on Earth and after His ascension. There are more stories, there are stories from today and from right where you are living. Our problem is that we like to provide alternate explanations instead of attributing to God what God has surely done.
He may work through mundane means, but even still it is God who does it. See Psalm 135:6, Psalm 115:3, Proverbs 16:33, Isaiah 46:9-10, and Daniel 4:35:
- Psalm 135:6: “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.”
- Psalm 115:3: “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
- Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.”
- Isaiah 46:9-10: “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
- Daniel 4:35: “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”
See also Psalm 2.
In the first verse of Scripture, the full and awesome scope of God’s unparcelled ability is displayed through the act of creation. By the power of the Godhead alone, everything was created out of nothing. See Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1-4:
- Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
- John 1:1-4: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
The Lord healed a man born blind (see John 9), raised a man from the grave (see John 11), and done many other incredible things.
We could go on cataloging the many demonstrations of God’s omnipotence, but even the most cursory examination of the topic is enough to leave us awestruck. In the end, we must say along with Job what is said in Job 42:2: “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”
Is God Willing?
We know from Romans 8:28 that God works everything for the ultimate good of those who trust in Him: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” For tough minds that might be enough, but for others it might leave far too much room for fear and doubt. So much of our understanding of the Heavenly Father is shaped by the experience of our earthly fathers and father figures.
We might have a father on Earth who knew best and guided us with harsh and exacting measures without much sympathy. We might have had an earthly father who simply was around, and who never had evidence of any real concern for us at all. Our fathers on Earth might never have invited us to share our burdens with them, but our Heavenly Father does. See 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
God has gone to great lengths to extend this invitation to us. John 3:16 and other verses make clear that He went to those lengths in perfect unconditional love for us: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He hasn’t invited us to cast our burdens on Him begrudgingly. This is the honest, and earnest desire of our Lord that we should trust all our troubles to Him.
We too often think this verse is only for those great important cares. We might sometimes sheepishly wonder if it is right to trouble God with the small concerns of our lives. Beloved readers, rest assured all the concerns of our lives are small in comparison to the awesome power of the Almighty. There is simply nothing we could approach the Lord God of Hosts about that would cause Him even the least bit of difficulty.
Yet, He cares so much for us that even the hairs of the head are numbered, according to Luke 12:7: “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” O beloved the Lord’s care for us is so great we struggle to grasp at it.
Beloved, we must be perfectly clear on this point for it is the most pressing in our daily lives. It is the multifaceted question of every person who has lived in uncertain circumstances trying to make their way in life with limited strength. Will God put food on my table? Can God provide my family with a house of our own? Can God give me a job? Can God bring me a good spouse? Can God settle my financial debts as well as my spiritual debt? Can God, and will God help me with these basic needs of life; or is He only for those ethereal concerns that are far from our minds when bank accounts are empty and our stomachs begin to growl?
Hear what God has said to us about all of this in Matthew 6:25-33: “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
See also Psalm 127:1-2: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
Psalm 68 says plainly that each and every day of our lives as born-again children of God He bears our burdens. He does bear them, even if we would continue to struggle under their weight playing at being more able than we are. He does bear these burdens for us, and what we must do is accept it, and willingly consign all the burdens to our mighty Lord who can carry the weight of it all with ease.
After all, He took the full weight of our sins on the cross and rose again in victory. We can trust those scarred hands to handle all our cares with perfect wisdom in perfect love for us: after all, He loved us enough to die in our place, and to raise us up with Him to glory.
Whatever has overwhelmed you, even something as trifling as losing the opportunity of a better job, God will gladly take that weight off your shoulders. Even something as life-shattering as the death of a loved one God will take the weight. This does not mean that things will not hurt, or that every problem will instantly vanish if only we surrender it to God’s sovereign care, but it means there will be supernatural support for our souls daily. We can go forward, and keep on as long as this life remains, as we have inexhaustible help.
Of course, it is sometimes hard for us to trust God because He seems to have been absent in our own narratives. At such times it is helpful to look to other stories of God for perspective. At this point, we must make clear that inexhaustible help does not mean fabulously flaunted wealth, and health as promised by false teachers. It means we shall have what we really need according to the all-knowing, all-wise, and steadfastly loving Father’s perfect decision.
It does not mean we shall never have to work again or that we shall always know where our next meal is coming from. It means that somehow, someway the next meal shall arrive. It may be a meal of crackers and water, but it will sustain us. So it was for the patriarchs, and for Joseph in Egypt, and for the generation who wandered with Moses and Joshua, and during the time of the Judges.
So, it was in the Life of David, and of the Prophet Elijah, Daniel, and the rest. The apostles too knew uncertain times, and so have the saints who came down since our present day. Read the biographies of God’s servants from Augustine to Peter Marshall and from Polycarp to W. A Criswell and you will find lean times a plenty; but also, sufficient provision always.
Helping our Unbelief
As the song says we are still prone to wander, and as we go off, we take on ourselves the responsibilities of the day. We lean on our understanding whenever we abandon God’s prescribed path. We cannot claim to know better than God what is good for us, and at the same time submit our burdens to His care. The two ideas are directly and irreconcilably opposed to each other.
By nature and by the world’s nurture, we are trained to be self-reliant. Each day a false gospel of self-sufficiency is preached to us as we go about our usual business. Then we come into the church on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening and we hear the tired tones of self-sufficiency preached at us again with religious trappings. We hear at all time and in all places about what we must do, and what we should feel. It is all about us, and that emphasis is what is really and truly killing us all.
What we need is more of God, more of His awesome power, and more of His equally awesome love towards us. We must emphasize Him till He grows in our minds to His full stature; or as near as we can grasp at it – so the words of the children’s hymns return to our understanding: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little one’s to him belong. We are weak, but He is strong…”
We are still little ones’ beloved, we are still weak, and He is still strong. O beloved, we have been invited by the Lord Himself to take the weight off our shoulders. We have been given one simple directive, to follow Christ, and the weight will be on His almighty shoulders as we do.
Practical Steps to Unburdening Ourselves
Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
The effects of consistent prayer on the human condition are impossible to overstate. Communing with God is the very opportunity of gaining relief from the day’s troubles. The pattern of prayer is simple. First, we must acknowledge God as almighty, all-knowing, all-wise, gracious, and loving. Then we must confess our burdens. Then we must trust those same burdens to the Lord. The prayer might be as short and sweet as this:
“O Heavenly Father, You are perfect in every way. Your servant is weak, and great troubled this day. I confess it is too much for me to bear. Your Word says You daily bear our burdens, please take mine this day. I thank you Father for the grace by which I stand even now.”
When our minds are restless, or we are particularly overwhelmed, it is good to stay with God awhile elaborating on each part of our prayer. We must also stay vigilant against returning anxiety and stress and refuse that entry into our minds and hearts. We must say to each fresh temptation to fret: “I have released that burden to God. I shall do the work set before me, and I shall trust Him with the rest.”
It is simple, but it is not easy. Fortunately, God helps us even to help ourselves. To those who object that God only helps those who help themselves, we say He cannot because no such people exist. Therefore, no one should feel any shame in earning heavily upon the holy Trinity in any matter great or small.
Yes, we should do our work for the day. We should take the practical, mundane steps available to address the situation. God can and does work through our efforts. We must not place the whole weight of the situation and its outcome on what we do, rather we place what we do and all the rest in God’s hands.
Reading and rereading the Bible is good medicine for unbelief in this area. Similar treatment is offered by the biographies of the saints. We especially recommend the biographies of George Muller and Gladys Aylward. In every biography we have read from Augustine to Peter Marshall there has been affirmation of the faithful provision of God to those who seek Him first.
Conclusion
John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Beloved, it is surely the will of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that all the saints here on Earth should have peace rather than stress. Perfect peace awaits in that fair and happy land where shines one eternal day where God the Son forever reigns and shatters night away.
Here and now, we can have a peace that surpasses the understanding of the world. By that peace, we witness to the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, and live a more abundant life even in times of scarcity and hardship. See Philippians 4:10-13: “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
We pray this writing will be immediately helpful to all its readers. We leave you with Philippians 4:19-20: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
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