“Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22)…”
We just arrived in Casa Grande, Arizona (at daughter and son-in-love’s house, “The Mace Place”) after 10 days in the Philippines (Manila for three days and Sorsogon City for the rest of the time).
We enjoyed a great trip (!) and two words floated to the top of the many descriptors that came to mind as I personally debriefed on board our United flight to San Francisco:
Blessed!
Sustained!
Over and over again, Bay and I felt blessed beyond measure:
Blessed relationally, as we deepened our friendship with a young man we knew from the days we lived on campus at Grand Canyon University in the early 2000’s.
Blessed with new friends who generously fed us, looked out for us, fed us, served us, fed us and made us feel welcome over and over (warning: if you ever travel to the Philippines know that the food just keeps on coming…).
Blessed with meeting the Director of Tourism for Sorsogon Province, the Attorney General and his wife (Mrs. Asia-Pacific), and, even the Governor.
Blessed with comfortable places to stay and rest in between speaking events.
Blessed with rapid adjustment to the time difference (+15 hours) and very little jet lag.
Blessed with immeasurable spiritual blessings as the Lord poured out His anointing over us each time we spoke and allowed the message He placed on our heart to be relatable to the “audiences” (even without translators)!
Blessed with seeing first-hand the Spirit of the Lord move in the hearts and lives of the folks we ministered to at the churches, the Pastors and Leaders Conference, a young adults group and a “revival” service (in the city of Irosin, about an hour from Sorsogon).
Part of the blessings God poured out on us were made manifest in light of the above verse from Psalm 55.
After we arrived in Sorsogon, Bay woke up one morning with a sore throat, soon after came the sniffles, and, eventually a cough developed.
Bay often gets these same symptoms amidst a lot of speaking, but this time it differentiated itself with a rough case of laryngitis.
We prayed and prayed for healing of his voice.
BUT GOD…
Always, BUT GOD…
The Lord put it on our hearts to keep the folks (coming to the conference) together instead of breaking them up into men’s and women’s groups, as we usually do.
Because we followed through with this tidbit of inspiration, we were able to tag-team with one of us speaking, while the other rested, and then we’d switch the next session.
Day after day (!) Bay’s voice seemed to strengthen for his portion of the conference, and then by night, we would wonder if he’d be able to speak at all the next day.
The Lord, indeed, sustained him!
As I observed this happen session after session, I noted it as nothing short of a miracle!
Truly, it was more than just a “coincidence,” it was what we often refer to as a GOD-INCIDENT.
It could have only happened because of a promise like that in Psalm 55:22…
Got a burden? A lot on your plate? A heaviness you just can’t shake? A weight that seems too much to carry? So much on the to-do-list that everything seems overwhelming?
Cast it on the Lord. Throw it down (literally or metaphorically!) and leave it at His feet. Give it to your very personal God who offers a promise to us that is always YES (!) and AMEN (!)…
What’s the promise? SUSTAINING.
“Sustain” is the Hebrew word: kul – to support, to contain, and to provide.
The word is actually a shepherding term.
It’s a picture of a Good-Shepherd who takes care of a sheep in need by putting him in an enclosure where the little one can be given what he needs: food, medical care, rest, protection, training…
Only by placing the sheep, or the lamb, in a fenced pen can the shepherd supply all his needs!
The Lord knows what we need…
…and, when we ask, He does the sustaining, because He is, indeed, a more-than-generous God:
Who gives “life more than abundantly.”
Who fills nets to full and overflowing.
Who feeds more than 5,000 from two fish and five loaves of bread (with 12 baskets of left overs).
Who sustains the sick with a voice and added energy for the moment and beyond…
Our only “to do” ——
CAST! GIVE AWAY!
But, you and I must be certain to take our hands off…and not take back what we’ve given away!!!
Then, we can watch Him work to do that which He does BEST!
