In Psalms, chapter fifty-five, verse twenty-two, when facing trials too great to bear, God invites us to cast our burdens and cares upon Him. He then bears their weight with us and sustains us in every situation. The Holy Spirit has repeated the invitation throughout redemptive history. Jesus gave the invitation in Matthew eleven, verses twenty-nine to thirty. The apostle Peter stated that believers should humble themselves before God, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you,” in First Peter five, verse seven.
The apostle Paul exhorted us to bring all our anxieties to God in prayer, promising that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. When we call on God from hearts that remain in Christ and His Word, as in John fifteen, verse seven, then the peace of God will flood our troubled souls. This peace is an inner tranquility mediated by the Holy Spirit, as in Romans eight, verses fifteen to sixteen. It involves a firm conviction that Jesus is near and that God’s love will be active in our lives for good, as in Romans eight, verses twenty-eight and thirty-two, and Isaiah twenty-six, verse three.
When we lay our troubles before God in prayer, this peace will stand guard at the door of our hearts and minds, preventing the cares and heartaches of life from upsetting our lives and undermining our hope in Christ, as in Philippians four, verse six, Isaiah twenty-six, verses three to four, verse twelve, Isaiah thirty-seven, verses one through seven, Romans eight, verses thirty-five to thirty-nine. If fear and anxiety return, prayer, petition, and thanksgiving will again place us under the peace of God that guards our hearts. There, we are safe and rejoice in the Lord.
For believers, casting our burdens on the Lord is essential because we cannot bear them. If saints of God try to work things out ourselves, we indicate that we do not trust the Lord.