By Justin Pratt, Clear Springs Baptist Church Senior Pastor
This piece is written from a deeply personal place. One day recently, I woke up before the alarm sounded, my eyes opening to a weight I could not see but felt immediately. The room was still dark, yet my mind was already racing. Worry settled in before my feet ever touched the floor. Fear began rehearsing conversations that had not happened, outcomes that were not certain, and problems I could not ever solve alone. It felt as though a heavy cloud had followed me out of sleep and taken its place squarely on my chest. Nothing dramatic had occurred overnight, but the burden was real nonetheless.
As I lay there, staring at the ceiling, I realized how quickly anxiety can hijack even the quiet moments of our lives. And for no good reason. The day had not yet begun, but the load already felt unbearable. I reached for my Bible, not with polished prayers or eloquent words, but with a simple plea for help. That is when, by God’s sovereignty, my eyes fell on Psalm 55:22: “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
In that moment, the verse did not feel like a cliché or just a religious slogan. It was a word from God, just for me. It felt like an invitation, and one I desperately needed to accept. Most of us know this feeling.
The burdens that we carry rarely announce themselves. They come quietly: financial pressure, family strain, health concerns, grief, guilt, anxiety about the future and exhaustion from trying to hold everything together. We keep going to work, attending events, smiling when expected, while inwardly feeling weighted down. Over time, the load grows heavier and the moments come more often.
In a moment of spiritual exhaustion, David’s Psalm became a reservoir of hope to me, and I pray that it will be for you. It doesn’t deny the existence of burdens. It assumes them. God doesn’t tell us that life will be free of weight, stress or sorrow. What He does tell us is that we were never meant to carry those weights by ourselves. The word “cast” is intentional. It does not mean to set down or partially hand over gently. It means to throw; decisively, intentionally, entirely. It is the picture of someone who has reached the end of their own strength and chooses to release what they can no longer manage.
We often do the same. We hold on tightly. We share the same worries, rehearse the same fears, and continually try to control outcomes that only belong to God. We convince ourselves that if we think harder, work longer or worry more, we can somehow fix everything. But the burdens were never meant to be solved by sheer endurance. They were meant to be surrendered into the hands and upon the shoulders that are much bigger than ours. Psalm 55:22 offers a promise alongside the instruction: “he shall sustain.” Not that He necessarily removes the situation. Not that He changes the problem overnight. But He will sustain, strengthen and steady us when the weight feels unbearable.
Casting our burdens on the Lord is not a sign of weakness. It is an act of trust. It is acknowledging that God is strong where we are not, faithful where we are uncertain, and present where we feel alone. If you are carrying something heavy today, something you’ve been managing silently, this verse is an invitation. You do not have to carry it another mile by yourself. You can bring it honestly, completely and confidently to the One who promises to sustain you.
Lay it down. Cast it off. And trust that God can hold what you no longer can.
