Fling your burden onto the I AM. He can easily handle anything you throw at him. He will sustain you and will never let you slip.  (Psalm 55:22 Becky’s No-nonsense Paraphrase)

Cause of Anxiety

My imagination almost always operates in overdrive. When a story’s protagonist swings from a precipice forty stories up, I break into a cold sweat. And like one of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, my fantastic imagination also investigates potential real-life scenarios. I imagine what will happen “if.” If I can’t handle this problem. If a difficult situation doesn’t resolve. If I do or say something stupid. If I don’t make Jesus proud. If I can’t carry this weight alone.

Thought streams morph into raging rivers, and my anxiety rises when I begin to believe I must carry my burden in my own strength. 

Maybe I’m alone (here my imagination places me in a dark, empty space where my uncertain “hello?” echoes out into eternity), but I don’t think so. Results of a quick Google search indicate 30 to 50% of humans struggle with anxiety. 

Cast Your Anxiety

The author of Psalm 55 is generally accepted as David. Throughout the chapter, his anxiety and imagination are out of control. He cannot handle the crazy (my blanket term for life) on his own. We want to give the guy a solidarity fist-bump. Dude, we get it.

And then we arrive at verse 22. The Blue Letter Bible provides access to the vivid meaning of the original language. The word often translated cast (as in, “cast your burden”) brings the connotation of flinging, hurling, throwing away—and the word is an imperative. More than just an invitation, this is a command to offload the weight we can’t handle. The word used for burden implies God is the source of our heavy bundle, which means he already knows what we carry. My anxiety is not caused by the burden but by the erroneous belief I must carry the burden myself. Knowing what we’ll need, God provides the assignment as well as the tools. He promises to provide for, sustain, and support us. 

Imagine: a father fits his small daughter with a kid-sized backpack filled with fun snacks and a warm sleeping bag he knows she’ll want for their camping trip. 

A hundred yards into the hike, the child flings the pack. “It’s too heavy, Daddy. Carry me?” 

Though he’s already lugging everything else they need for the adventure, her father retrieves the bag. He sweeps the child onto his shoulder and easily carries her the remaining distance. 

Before they ever left, he knew he’d end up carrying her. He never expected her to make it up the mountain on her own. He simply waited for her to ask for help. Because of this experience, she’ll trust him even more fully in the future. 

The weight of what we believe God wants us to accomplish—and the heft of the tool pack he’s provided to complete the task—can overwhelm us when we believe we have to handle the heavy burden without help. But God waits for us to hand it all back to him. He never intended us to carry it alone. 

Cure for Anxiety

Most of the time, anxiety stems from out-of-control thoughts, from imagining we must figure out how to survive the weight without assistance. The cure for anxiety is action, which is why Psalm 55:22 begins with an imperative verb. We must throw our heavy backpack to God, decide to let go, and ask for his help. 

When we stop believing we must carry the weight alone, he’ll banish the anxiety, wrap his arms around us, and carry us along with the burden. God won’t force peace on us, but when we ask, he’ll remind us once again: he’s big enough to handle our burden and will never let us slip.