Dear Church Family: 
  
In the NASB translation, Psalm 55:22 states – Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. In the Holman Christian Standard Bible that my friend Robert Morgan uses in his book One Hundred Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, states Psalm 55:22 almost identically the same: Cast your burden on the Lord and He will support you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. The only difference between the two is the word “sustain” versus the interpretation of “support”. I like both translations. In one perspective, the Lord “sustains” us by giving us the tools and the means we need to journey on through life day by day; on the other hand, He not only gives us the tools we need (i.e., sustains us) but He also is working in us and in our circumstances to enable us to “keep on keeping on”. In other words, He also “supports” us. In commenting upon this particular verse, Morgan shares the following in chapter 41 of his book.

John Fletcher is known in history as the godly vicar of Madely; but in 1755 he grew deeply discouraged. On Thursday, January 23rd, he felt so despondent he almost gave up hope. “Having continued my supplication ‘til nearly one in the morning,” he told his diary, “I then opened my Bible and fell on these words ‘Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.’ Filled with joy, I fell again on my knees to beg of God that I might always cast my burden upon Him .... My hope was now greatly increased.”
 
This verse has often done the same for me. I recall learning it during my sophomore year in college, while despondent. My roommate, seeing my low spirits, showed me this verse, and it immediately struck a chord in my heart. I memorized it and have loved it ever since.
 
In Psalm 55 King David was distressed. A handful of people were causing him problems. We don’t know if this is strictly personal (since David was, after all, a human with all kinds of emotions) or if it involved national security (since he was also a head of state). In either case, he had a handful of enemies, and one of them, a close friend and ally, had betrayed him and gone to the other side. David was devastated, and that’s what occasioned this Psalm (see vv.1-3 and 12-14).
 
Whether it was personal, political, or both, David knew that a wound this deep had to be given over immediately and irretrievably to the Lord (see vv.16-18). Regaining strength, he ended Psalm 55 with this exhortation to us: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will support you.”
 
An ancient Jewish rabbi was carrying a heavy load on his back when he joined an Arabian tradesman with his caravan. Looking at the rabbi, the Arab said, “Take your burden and throw it on my camel.” The rabbi later used that incident to illustrate this verse. When we cast our care on the Lord, we are taking off our load and throwing our problems and worries onto His back.
 
This verse was the inspiration for a great German hymn by Georg Neumark, one that should be known by every Christian in the world: “If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee,” or, as the newer hymnals put it: “If You Will Only Let God Guide You.”
 

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in God through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the Rock that naught can move.

 
Morgan then ends his chapter with the following quote from the writer of that hymn, Georg Neumark:

God hears the call of those in need, the souls that trust in Him indeed.”

 Morgan’s account ends at that point. We have no idea what struggles and trials you may be facing or undergoing at this time. One thing is absolutely certain, God has given us a wonderful provision and a tremendous promise in Psalm 55:22. Why not lighten your load, and place it upon the shoulders of an all-knowing, all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful Savior? Soli Deo Gloria!

Love, 

John & Terri
Ps. 55:22