The Journey Continues: Casting Aside

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you" - Psalm 55:22a

As I've continued my reading and study of The Bible, I've felt that the process is best when I allow something to speak to me, and in speaking to me, causes me to pause, reflect, and in this case, to write about what I had read.

This verse above is one I've heard countless times over my life, and I've sung it several times (Felix Mendelssohn's haunting anthem with this text is one of my favorites to sing). But as with most scripture, this verse was just one of many that glanced off my soul, leaving a mark, but never making me stop and ponder on its meaning. That is until today. 

We all carry burdens within us. Some are visible burdens such as physical issues that can overwhelm us. Some (probably most) are issues with our spirit, or our mental state. Self-doubt, anxiety, depression, family concerns - all of these are burdens that we carry on ourselves.

So, how can we apply this verse to our lives? What does it mean to "cast"? And what does it mean when it is promised that "He shall sustain you"? 

I always thought to cast your burdens, as written in this verse, meant to toss aside, almost haphazardly. The Webster's definition of cast, as applicable to this verse, is "an act of throwing something forcefully." The Psalmist knew that in writing this specific word (Hebrew הַשְׁלֵ֤ךְ haš·lêḵ) that we are not to haphazardly toss aside our burdens: we are to forcefully throw them onto the Lord. 

This is echoed in 1 Peter 5:7 - "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." The Greek word  used for "cast" is ἐπιρίψαντες (epiripsantes), to throw (cast) (upon), as of cares. Again, this word means to specifically throw our burdens on the Lord. 

I know, through experiences in health issues and personal struggles that I would pray about these burdens, but in retrospect, I didn't "cast" them: I more likely surrendered them to God. I knew I could not handle it on my own. Perhaps, in my mind I was "casting" them, but I never felt like I was forcefully throwing them onto God's shoulders. 

Perhaps, in the way we anthropomorphize God, we think He can handle our burdens if we give them to Him gently in prayer. But we retain our hold on our burdens because, in that process of humanizing God, we don't REALLY think He can handle them. This verse teaches us something different: we are to throw our burdens to God, pushing these burdens away from us in a manner that truly removes them from our control. Truthfully, it is easier for us to surrender our burdens to God in prayer and supplication, but to forcefully throw them to Him is difficult. 

My wife has shared that for her, on multiple occasions, she has truly cast her burdens on God, specifically citing that it was as if a boulder that was on her shoulders was removed. Just as the photograph that I've selected for this post, casting the boulder away brings one instant relief: the weight is no longer there - it will continue on a journey away from you. 

The second part of this sentence, "and He shall sustain you." is the reassurance that in performing the first act (casting), we will be sustained. The Webster definition of "sustain" is "strengthen or support physically or mentally." The Hebrew יְכַ֫לְכְּלֶ֥ךָ yə·ḵal·kə·le·ḵā phrase means exactly "He shall sustain you." It very simply means that once we have done the act of forcefully throwing our burdens to God, He will strengthen and support us. This is echoed in Luke 12:22, "Then He said to His disciples, 'Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.'"  Once the act of casting - of throwing - our burdens onto God, we are to be reassured about His strength and support, and that we are to no longer worry.

How often are the simplest and shortest of Bible verses the ones that cause us to ponder on the power of God. In reading this verse this morning, and the depth of understanding that writing about this verse has brought to me, God has assured me of His power, and most importantly, His Love.

Soli Deo Gloria