Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
By: Anonymous
Listen as you read. This is a great gospel guitar version.
We swing the pendulum back to Just a Closer Walk with Thee and turn our focus to cultivating an awareness of God’s presence with us through all the different circumstances of life. Because this stanza asks two huge questions which are both answered in the closing line, I want to begin with the latter half so we answer the question today and not allow it to linger from Tuesday to Thursday unanswered. Let’s tune our hearts.
Burdens
First let us establish that we all have burdens. They vary at different points in our lives, different stages, and change in their intensity and duration, but burdens are universal. We all have them.
So the hymn strikes a chord with every honest soul. We have all wondered what the answer to this question is at times. There are seasons when we are confident that at least a few of the people closest to us would rally to our aid, but there are also times when each of us feels like the figure above. At least a little hopeless. Weary from the struggle of carrying our burden, we drop it to the ground and take a seat to rest and ask the question again. Who will share this burden with me?
-
What’s Inside? What does your burden look like today?
I imagine you do not have to think long or hard. It probably is plain and simple.
- How are you managing that burden today?
Maybe you are muddling through. Maybe you are handling it, sort of. Maybe you are completely overwhelmed.
Jesus will help you. Do you know that? If you do, do you practice it? That is to say, do you take your burdens to Jesus and ask for help? If so, good. If not, why not?
Maybe it is because you are not fully convinced that Jesus will actually help you with your burden. Oh sure, you have faith enough to believe He would help others, but you remain unconvinced that He would help you. So let’s take a few moments and put that to rest. And there really is the key. Rest.
Shared
You are not alone. Jesus is with you and wants to help you with your burden. Consider a couple Scriptures.
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 (ESV)
So your responsibility is simply to cast your burden on the Lord. What does He do in return? Sustains you. Did you notice how the focus shifted first from the burden to the Lord, then to His work in you, not so much with the burden? That is a very important realization.
Take a few moments and ask the Holy Spirit to help you cast your burden on Him.
Now get ready. An incredible exchange is about to take place as we take Jesus at His word.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
Jesus invites all the weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest. Sounds good so far right. But wait, He then encourages us to take His burden, in the form of a yoke which represents His teaching, and encourages a life which reflects His, resulting in, yep, rest.
How does that work exactly? Well, most burdens look a lot like the ones the person is carrying here. Even the ones we craft for ourselves are often unwieldy. And when we let others add to them the situation quickly becomes unmanageable, even for he strongest among us. His burden actually ushers in rest. How so? His burden is light, as opposed to all others which are not.
And what does His burden look like? Probably a whole lot like a cross. Why do I say that? Because that is how Jesus described the burden we should carry.
And he (Jesus) said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 (ESV)
And He carried it first. He set the example for us. He carried the weight the Father had marked out for Him. So we can with confidence do the same.
None But Thee
Who will share your burden? None but Thee.
Emphatic repetition. None but Thee.
While this at first may seem like a bit of a downer. it is simply the honest truth of God’s faithfulness as it compares to the faithfulness of any and every other entity, well-intentioned or not. God will help us bear our burden, and lift us when we falter, but more on the latter on Thursday. I hope you will come back and tune with us again, but for today make certain to enjoy the resources below which are companions to these Tunings.
Restful Tuning!
Jesus, I know You will help me bear my burdens. You have done it before and I am confident you will do it again. You are faithful and so I entrust my life, burdens and all into your gracious care. In Jesus name. Amen.
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Video 7.2 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
What an apt description of this weary word through which we wander. What difficulties and traps are you facing today? Ask Jesus to reveal them, and help you through each one.
I have a friend who likes to quip “Nobody cares” when people ask “How are you doing?” While I generally take issue with him on this, the hymn writer seems to be agreeing with that sad assessment. Ask God to help you be honest, especially when you are crying out to Him.
God can handle even the toughest questions. He may not make His answer quick or obvious, but even asking Him the questions is a demonstration of your faith in action. What tough questions do you need to ask God today?
We can cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us. He will never turn us away. Even when we are not faithful, He is. Give your burdens to Him right now and be confident He will share them with you.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
Image Attributions
Burdens – https://pixabay.com/photos/holzfigur-stones-hopeless-stranded-980802/
What’s Inside? – https://pixabay.com/vectors/bag-sack-jute-brown-goods-156120/
Weary – https://pixabay.com/photos/boxes-cardboard-carrying-overload-2624231/
Take Up Your Cross – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-christ-cross-cross-carry-1248835/
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