February 27 -- "Transfer Your Load"

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 16 

"Transfer Your Load"

Picture a father and his son on a long, challenging hike. As they journeyed through the forest, the child's backpack grew heavier, weighing down his small frame. Seeing his struggle, the father gently lifted the burden, offering relief and reassurance. With the weight lifted, they continued together, strengthened by their bond. That is the picture being conveyed by Proverbs 16:3.

The word “commit” in verse 3 carries the idea of transferring a load. It means to roll the heavy load off of your back and roll it onto the back of another – as a man transfers a burden from his own back to one stronger and better able to bear it. Here we are being told to roll our load of work onto the Lord’s back.

While “work” may mean everything we have to do in life, it primarily refers to the “works” we do for God. This includes the entirety of the Christian life – faith, worship, learning, fellowship, prayer, and service. Jesus was a Man who was laser focused on the works He was called to do. Once, after healing a blind man, He said “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4) This was His way of saying, “I must quickly carry out the tasks assigned to Me by the One who sent Me.” The Apostle Paul mirrored this sentiment when he said, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:24 NLT)

All of us have tasks to do which have been assigned to us by our Heavenly Father. If we try to carry the burden of these tasks in our own strength, they will be too heavy for us. This is why you must roll your load onto the Lord’s back. Trust Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to enable you to accomplish your assignments from Him. It is in Him that you will find the strength to complete the work He has given you to do. 

We each have a role in the Body of Christ and a distinct mission to fulfill… and God has perfectly equipped us to succeed in His assignment.

The second part of this verse promises that when we roll our burdens onto Him, He will arrange and establish our plans. A person may make plans, but God is the one who determines their outcome. He knows your unseen motives and controls events according to His purposes and His plan for your life. It is vitally important, therefore, to always bring God into your planning. When your wisdom comes from God, your decisions will always be right. The promise here is that when your plans come from God, they will be firmly established (firm, secure, steadfast, settled). He will quiet your fears and insecurities and put you on the firm foundation of His plan for your life.