Burden.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that in recent weeks. This past Sunday I preached in our church here in France from Nehemiah 2. When Nehemiah heard the news of the deplorable situation of those who had returned to Jerusalem, he immediately wept, prayed, and fasted for four months. Why? He was burdened. His burden was God’s call to action of which the most important step was to pray!
Throughout the Bible we find multiple examples of those who receive a burden from the Lord for a particular aspect of his work. Jesus carried a burden over the hardness of heart of those of Jerusalem, deeply longing to embrace them as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Matthew 23:37). Paul carried a similar burden for his fellow Jews, so much so that he was willing to perish if only they could be saved (Romans 9:2-3)! This same apostle also carried a heavy, daily burden for the newly established churches, asking, “Who is weak without my feeling that weakness?” (2 Corinthians 11.29).
I’m convinced that the burden Nehemiah, Jesus, Paul, and so many others have carried is a tangible reflection of the heart of God. In other words, the multifaceted aspects of God’s incomprehensible love, mercy, and compassion for this lost and sin-sick world is tangibly demonstrated through the specific burdens that he lays on the hearts of his children.
Admittedly, we have little problem being preoccupied by our own “burdens” (i.e., concerns, worries, preoccupations)—whether they be financial, relational, material, or otherwise. However, it is precisely our own “burdens” that can keep us from embracing God’s burdens.
What is the remedy? It may be that as Jesus wept over the hardness of heart of those in Jerusalem, his thoughts went to his Father’s words spoken through Isaiah: “Like a shepherd he tends his flock: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart . . .” (Isaiah 40.11). The closer we draw to the heart of God, our “burdens” will grow lighter, enabling us to hear his heartbeat and share his burden for this world.
Do you carry a burden for a specific aspect of God’s work in this world?
If so, please don’t ignore it or minimize it. It very likely comes from the heart of God and is intended to draw your heart along the pathway of his will. As for Nehemiah, it can be God’s call to action!
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