He Will Sustain You

"Cast your burden upon the LORD--and He will sustain you." 

- Psalm 55:22

The promise is not that the Lord will remove the load we cast upon Him, nor that He will carry it for us, but that He will sustain us so that we may carry it. He does not free us from the duty, but He strengthens us for it. He does not deliver us from the conflict, but He enables us to overcome. He does not withhold or withdraw the trial from us, but He helps us in trial to be submissive and victorious, and makes it a blessing to us. He does not mitigate the hardness or severity of our circumstances, taking away the difficult elements, removing the thorns, making life easy for us, but He puts divine grace into our hearts, so that we can live sweetly in all the hard circumstances.  
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"
 - Philippians 4:13
-- J. R. Miller

A dear brother shared this with us this morning, Thanks Isak! :-)  Oh to cling to the truths that Mr. Miller spoke here about casting our burdens upon the Lord.  I have been so encouraged as I have seen this verse played out in our home this week.  We have been dealing with something that in some ways really has seemed like a death to us.  It has been hard.  When you love people it so difficult when the Lord removes them.  But just as this says, as we cast our cares upon Him, He did not remove the hurt and sting, but He has sustained and strengthened.  

One day I felt as if the battle was really being lost.  I have been praying and fasting and yet discouragement was overwhelming to one in our home.  The Lord laid it upon my heart to call in "extra troops", so I asked just a few of my sisters in the Lord to pray with me and although I know that I should not have been so amazed to see the power of prayer, I was.  It was so amazing!  We serve an awesome God and I know in our home the trial that God has called us to go through, although it has and really continues to be hard, has been such a faith building experience.  Thus we can see and understand just a bit more why we are called to:

 Rejoice evermore.

 Pray without ceasing. 

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

(1Th 5:16-18)

~Karen