‘Pile Up’ Our Burdens on God
Yael Eckstein | September 10, 2021
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans. — Proverbs 16:3
We continue with devotional thoughts from the Book of Proverbs every Friday. One of the 11 books in the Torah known as the Ketuvim, Hebrew for “writings,” Proverbs is part of the “wisdom tradition,” which also includes Job and Ecclesiastes.
There are many times when I feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that I have to get done for The Fellowship, along with the needs of my four children. When that happens, instead of pressing onward, I press on the brakes.
I go outside in nature, take a walk, and tell God how much I depend on Him in order to accomplish what I need to do. When I return to my to-do list, things always come together. Somehow, by letting go — and turning to God — I’m able to do whatever needs to be done, when before it seemed impossible.
Proverbs teaches us to “commit to the LORD whatever you do.” The Hebrew word for “commit” is gol. Gol is a verb form of the word gal, which means “pile,” as in a pile of rocks. So, what the verse is really saying is that we should “pile up” our burdens, all our tasks, on God.
‘Pile Up’ Our Burdens on God
Remember, God is all-powerful. We shouldn’t feel that we are bothering Him. After all, doesn’t every parent want their children to come to them when life is overwhelming? Like the loving father that He is, God wants us to help us accomplish everything we need to do.
The end of the verse also has an interesting meaning in the original Hebrew. The word for “plans” is machshavot, which literally means “thoughts.” Sharing our burdens with God doesn’t mean that He’s going to step in and do all the work for us. Our God-given tasks are still ours to fulfill. But when we feel overwhelmed and turn to God with our “pile” of burdens, God has a way of clearing up our confusion, of settling our minds so that we can focus on the mission that He has given us.
So the next time you are feeling overwhelmed, put on the brakes and take time to “pile up” your burdens on God. He can certainly handle whatever we give to Him.
Your Turn:
Take a moment today to unload your tasks on God. Share your to-do list with Him and know that He believes in you.