Psalm 55:22 - The Burden of “Bad” Feelings.
Psa. 55:22; The Burden of "Bad" Feelings.
Psa 55:22 (KJV) Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall
sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 55:22 (NLT) Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will
take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
Psa 55:22 (CWR) Cast your burden on the Lord and He will
sustain you. He will not forget those who try to do right. He will
never allow the righteous to be moved.
CONTEXT
Cast Your Burden on the Lord (55:1-23)
Prayer when slandered (55:1-23)
A Prayer About a False Friend
Feeling down? Then praise God! That's the attitude of even the
saddest psalms, which are called "laments." These laments [such as
Psalms 54 - 61) show individuals and the nation of Israel praying in
times of crisis. Of all the types of psalms, the lament is most
common. [Youth SB]
For Troubled Times Psalms 50-56; Seven psalms of David teach us
how to respond when we bring trouble on ourselves, and when others
betray us. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Ch. 55 Because of the treachery of an intimate friend (vv.
12-13), David prays in anguish (with respect to himself, vv. 1-8), in
anger (with respect to his enemies, vv. 9-15), and in assurance (with
respect to God, vv. 16-23). [Ryrie SB]
This desperate call to God came in extreme circumstances which
correspond to the period of Absalom's rebellion in David's life. The close
friend who betrayed the psalmist could well be Ahithophel (2 Sa
17:1-4). David called on the Lord to "confound their speech'' (v 9) as at
Babel. This is, indeed, what happened to the counsel of Ahithophel (2
Sa 17:5-14). [Disciple SB]
CROSS REFERENCES
1 Samuel 2:9 (KJV) He will keep the feet of his saints, and the
wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man
prevail.
Matthew 11:28 (KJV) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Psalm 62:2 (KJV) He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my
defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
Psalm 62:8 (KJV) Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out
your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Psalm 16:8 (KJV) I have set the Lord always before me: because
he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Psalm 27:14 (KJV) Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he
shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 37:5 (KJV) Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in
him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Matthew 6:31-34 (KJV) Therefore take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be
clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek
ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the
morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Philip. 4:6-7 (KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Psalm 37:24 (KJV) Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
1 Peter 1:5 (KJV) Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth
for you.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION
Burden. The Talmud assigns to it the meaning "burden." The LXX
has merimna, "care," "anxiety," "worry."
We must distinguish between the burden-bearing that is right and
the burden-bearing that is wrong. We ought never to bear the burden
of sin or of doubt, but there are burdens placed on us by God which
He does not intend to lift off, He wants us to roll them back on
Him. "Cast that He hath given thee upon the Lord." (R.V. marg.) If we
undertake work for God and get out of touch with Him, the sense of
responsibility will be overwhelmingly crushing; but if we roll back on God that
which He has put upon us, He takes away the sense of responsibility by
bringing in the realization of Himself. Many workers have gone out with
high courage and fine impulses, but with no intimate fellowship with
Jesus Christ, and before long they are crushed. They do not know what
to do with the burden, it produces weariness, and people say--'What
an embittered end to such a beginning!' "Roll thy burden upon the
Lord"--you have been bearing it all; deliberately put one end on the
shoulders of God. "The government shall be upon His shoulder." Commit to
God "that He hath given thee"; not fling it off, but put it over on
to Him and yourself with it, and the burden is lightened by the
sense of companionship. Never dissociate yourself from the burden. [My
Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers]
Escape and flight may seem the only alternative when as God's
people we live as the minority in a hostile environment. We find even
our closest friends bowing to pressure and turning against us.
Constant prayer and faith are the only course of action available. God
will never turn against His faithful people. [Disciple SB]
When we are tempted to look on the dark side, let us open the
windows of the soul heavenward, that the bright beams of the Sun of
Righteousness may shine in. Let us draw near to God. He has promised that as
we do this He will draw near to us and lift up for us a standard
against the enemy. HP120
Do not think that by placing your burdens on others, you can
find relief. Come right to the Burden-bearer, and tell Him about
them. Believe that He is able and willing to meet the circumstances of
your case. When in contrition you come to the foot of the cross, when
you have faith in the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, you
will receive power through Him. As you cast your helpless soul upon
Him, He gives you peace and joy and strength and courage. UL359
Myth: Christians should de-emphasize feelings.
Fact: We should experience the feelings God gave us and bring
them to him, especially when we don't understand them. Many
Christians believe that feelings are to be disciplined, buffeted, or
controlled if you want to truly follow God. Here are a few of Curt's
experiences with this myth:
When I was new in my faith, Christians told me, "Curt, ignore
those feelings, and do what God wants you to do." I poured my heart
out to one Christian, who simply thumped his Bible and said, "That's
just a feeling. What does the Bible say?" He told me that listening
to my feelings would get me into trouble. So I ignored my feelings,
which wasn't difficult - I learned how to do this growing up. God
created feelings. He is a full-feeling Being, expressing anger (Jonah
4:1), hurt (Hosea 11:1-4), and joy (Nehemiah 8:10). Much of the Bible
talks about feelings, especially in Old Testament poetry and prophecy.
King David of the Old Testament, a "man after [God's] own heart" (1
Samuel 13:14), struggled with feelings openly. He felt the full
strength of his emotions and surrendered them to God. We can do the same
thing. Cutting off our feelings cuts off a part of who we are. It
isolates our emotional lives from our faith and tempts us to lead two
lives-a secular one and a spiritual one. How much wiser to deal with
feelings, even the ugliest ones, through our faith. --Curt Grayson And Jan
Johnson
Prayer: Lord, help me neither to be afraid of my feelings nor
afraid of those who tell me they're bad. Help me to learn to express my
feelings in healthy ways. [Life Recovery Devotional SB]
We may keep so near to God that in every unexpected trial our
thoughts will turn to Him as naturally as the flower turns to the sun....
Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears
before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him.... Take to Him
everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear,
for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the
universe.... There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read;
there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. SC99-101
JESUS CARES
When your heart is heavy and burdened
And you can't see your way through,
While you're going through trials and testings
And you don't know what to do.
There's a friend above who watches
And He cares what happens to you;
This wonderful one is Jesus
And He will see you through.
He cares when your heart is troubled
And the tears come falling fast:
He will come and heal your broken heart
And make it a thing of the past.
When the battle seems too great to win
And hard the enemy's blast,
Remember the battle is not yours but the Lord's
And against Him Satan can't last.
So keep your eyes upon Jesus
And your troubles on Him roll;
He will fight your battles for you
And His love to you unfold.
He is a great and wonderful God
And His love as pure as gold;
Put your trust in Him today
And you will find rest for your soul. by Linna L. Lyle
When you feel you just can't take it anymore.....Take it to the
Lord! [Pastor Larson]
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