The Blessedness of a Burden

by David

When do you do your best praying? What if our prayers were recorded for us to see at all times? Would there be certain times when they would be free of the clutter of cliches & be most heartfelt? Have you ever prayed, or felt like praying a prayer like this: "I wish I had wings like a dove! Then I could fly away and be at rest. Yes, I would flee to a place far off, I would stay in the desert." That is Psalm 55:6-7 from the Complete Jewish Bible, translated by David Stern.
My question in this post is this: Are there times when God does NOT deliver us from burdens? Or, are there times when He even sends us into a spiritual storm? I am sure many if not all of you reading this know what I am getting at, & that there are indeed those times in our lives as believers. Reading Matthew 14:22ff as well as chapter 8:23-27 in that same Gospel reveals that there are times that the Lord sends us into storms, or goes with us into them & then seems to fall asleep, leaving us to manuever through it somehow, all the time feeling totally hopeless. Why am I saying this? Just to say, that there is such a thing as the blessedness of a burden. David was extremely burdened as he wrote Psalm 55. A dear friend, probably Ahithophel his once trusted advisor, betrayed him & defected to Absalom's side during a particularly difficult time in David's life. But, during that time, David prayed like this: "Listen, God, to my prayer! Don't hide yourself from my plea! Pay attention to me, and answer me! I am panic-stricken as I make my complaint, I shudder at how the enemy shouts, at how the wicked oppress; for they keep heaping trouble on me and angrily tormenting me. My heart within me is pounding in anguish, the terrors of death press down on me, fear and trembling overwhelm me, horror covers me." But he also tells us that this burden led him to pray morning, noon & evening, pouring out his heart to God, all the while learning to trust Him more & more. I wonder, does this sound familiar to you? Our God, though He may seem to have left us or fallen asleep, leaving us to go it alone, is right there in the boat of life with us, teaching us to rely on Him, making us into Christ's image! What a wonderful God we serve.