BURDENS
02nd May 2018
I heard a story many years ago of a mother in USA whose child was very ill and needed a surgical procedure which was financially way out of her reach, as all medical treatment had to be paid for. She knew that a surgeon who was among few qualified to perform this operation was visiting the city where she lived. This only made her more angry and frustrated.
One afternoon as her rage and helplessness was at its height, there came a violent storm, the rain fell in torrents. As she looked out of her window she discovered a complete stranger sheltering under her veranda. This made her even more angry, and she went onto the veranda and turned over all the chairs so this intruder could not sit down.
The following day she was absolutely gutted to pick up the newspaper and read, “Famous Surgeon caught in Rain Storm”, and the article informed their readers of the inhospitable behaviour of the house owner who had acted with such bad grace. This lady was devastated. To think that the one who was so near and had all the skill and expertise to cure her child had been so rudely rejected.
Tough things in life do cause anger and frustration to arise within, but rather than help this can cut us off from the help that God wants to freely gives us. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your cares upon him for he cares from you.”
We would like to fix things, provide quick answers, come up with a powerful prayer. However, that is not effective in many situations where there is long term suffering or bereavement.
Many times I have found this verse so powerful. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Father of compassion and all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we have received ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
by Charles Sibthorpe
