Have you ever felt like the weight of suffering or sorrow might crush you? I remember an especially difficult day in the midst of my cancer battle ten years ago. We had just learned that I would need to start spending most of my time in Houston, receiving treatment through a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
As I sat in the Houston airport waiting to return home for a few days, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. I was weighed down by grief and the stress of the challenges we faced. But over and over again during that time, the Lord brought this verse to mind:
“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22, NIV)
What does it look like to cast your cares on the Lord? The word cast means to throw, hurl, or fling. Imagine standing at the edge of a cliff, reaching your arm behind you, and throwing your worries as far as they will go. When our burdens are too much for our own strength, we can cast them on the Lord. He will carry them for us.
As we cast our burdens on Him, God says He will sustain us. We don’t need to stand on our own strength or skill. He doesn’t look at our pain and say with a shrug, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He sees our weakness and asks us to throw the burden on Him. He has all the strength we need. He holds us tight and will never let us go.
As I walked through the difficult months of that clinical trial, the Lord often showed me that He was with me in my suffering. He never asked me to carry the burden alone. He’s not asking you to suffer alone, either. Cast those burdens on Him, and let Him sustain you today.
No matter what you face this week, the Lord will sustain you.
** This weekend I will celebrate 1 0 Y e A r S ! since my cancer diagnosis in October 2010. I can’t celebrate with a big party or a fantastic trip (thanks a lot, covid!), but I can celebrate with God’s Word. Each Monday this month, I’m sharing a verse that was precious to me during my cancer battle. I hope it encourages you in whatever struggle you’re facing today. **
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