Devotions
Cast Down Your Burdens
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” — Psalm 55:22
A Picture of the Burdens We Carry
Back in the 1970s, public transportation in many rural villages in my
country was limited. People traveling to the capital often depended on finding
a free ride. Because the roads were poor, those who could afford vehicles often
chose trucks. One day, a young man was fortunate enough to get a ride in
the back of a truck. He carried a suitcase on his head and, out of gratitude,
told himself, “These people are kind to take me in. I will not burden them any
further with my luggage, so I will keep it on my head.” He traveled all the way
from his village to Kigali still carrying the suitcase.
It is a true story, and there were many similar examples. We may feel sorry for
that boy, yet the story mirrors our own lives. How often do we continue
carrying burdens that God has already invited us to release? We have been given
the free gift of salvation, our sins are forgiven, and yet letting go of past
failures and future worries can still feel very difficult.
A Testimony of deliverance
A young man once shared a testimony about his mother. He said, “My mom had
always been a somber woman. She rarely smiled and constantly worried about both
small and great matters. One morning, I woke up and found her in the kitchen
humming. Surprised, I asked her what had happened.”
She replied, “Last night I had a dream. I was walking when I
saw demons coming to me. They dropped ugly, foul-smelling bags on me and walked
away. As I continued walking, the burdens grew heavier and heavier until I
could barely move. Then suddenly a man appeared. He was tall, radiant, and full
of light. He asked me why I had accepted those bags from those creatures. I had
no answer. Then he began removing them one by one. When he removed the last
one, I felt light and joyful, and I began to sing. I woke up singing, and here
I am still singing. I will never accept those burdens again.”
This testimony offers a vivid picture of what happens when
burdens are surrendered instead of embraced. Freedom begins when we stop
agreeing to carry what God never intended for us to keep.
Guarding Your Peace and Joy
Sometimes we come to God in prayer and lay our burdens at the foot of the
cross, only to pick them up again before we even leave the place of prayer. We
continue carrying the weight of past failures, grudges, and wounds, as well as
the pressures of the present and the uncertainty of the future. These burdens
can rob us of peace and joy, and at times they can even affect our physical and
mental well-being.
For a Christian, peace and joy are precious treasures. Before the end of His
earthly ministry, Jesus gave us this gift: “Peace I leave with you; my peace
I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Peace and joy belong
together. They are like two sides of the same coin and cannot be separated.
Guard your peace carefully. Fight for it. Do not let any circumstance steal it
from you.
A friend once confided in me that she had been overwhelmed by one difficulty
after another. She continued to fight courageously in prayer. Then one day,
after receiving yet another piece of bad news, she felt she had reached her
limit. The moment that thought entered her mind, she rose quickly, ran to her prayer
closet, and declared, “Devil, you will never take away my peace.”
How to Cast Your Burdens
You cannot go back and change your past, and you cannot step into the
future to control what has not yet happened. But you can surrender every burden
to God and receive the freedom He offers.
Here are simple ways to do that:
· Pray and place your burdens before God honestly.
· Meditate on His Word and hold on to His promises.
· Sing praises to the Lord, especially when you feel overwhelmed.
Sing in the morning when you do not know where to turn. Sing in the evening when you are unsure about tomorrow. Sing again and again, and let praise lift the weight from your heart. And when the enemy tries to place those burdens on you again, you will know what to do.
Posted : Jun 01, 2026