God is our burden bearer

The pulse on our confidence meter gets stronger as we get closer to God and see Him as our burden bearer.

Did you know you have a confidence meter that has the ability to get stronger? God grows our confidence by showing us His heart. Trust grows as the relationship deepens. This relationship deepens over a lifetime of discovery what God is like. The pulse on our confidence meter gets stronger the closer we get to God and see Him as our burden bearer.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

This promise to Isaiah teaches us that our fears are displaced when they are engulfed in a vision of the goodness of God. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” That is not an abstract idea, it is a real experience. The moment we open our hearts to receive the help God offers us, a vision of His goodness will engulf us with a new perspective of reality that literally transforms our life.

When God invites us into relationship with Him He changes us by showing us His heart. He wants us to take a look at His heart. He has our best interests in mind. He only has holy intentions toward us. His heart is pure. He says, “I am your God,” or “I am in this relationship with you,” not to drain you or take advantage of you, but to lift you up and empower you to go to your purpose.

“I will strengthen you”

“I will help you”

“I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

God is trustworthy because He has a clean heart. He’s not a narcissist. God is an unselfish burden bearer. He’s in this relationship to serve us. His heart is not closed to the pain and plight of His children. He invites us into relationship with Him for one reason, because He wants to sacrifice Himself for our benefit. That means you can have confidence to follow God’s leadership because He has a clean heart. You can trust the relationship because He promises to “uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

When I was a teenager, my confidence meter was low. I had the faith of a toddler. I can remember the day that it seemed like God was tugging at my heart about something. I didn’t know what it was, but there was an audacious, impossible vision that was engulfing me. I told my mother I thought God was asking me to pursue Him in the call to pastoral ministry. I told her I didn’t want to say “yes.” It was way out of my comfort zone. I couldn’t see myself doing that, especially public speaking. I was working at Potter’s Nursery in Kingston, Ontario, and I wanted to grow things and be a landscaper for the rest of my life. I loved horticulture, not hermeneutics.

My mother challenged me to pray about it before we went to sleep that night. She said, “Let’s take some time to pray tonight. I will go to my room and ask God for direction, and you can go kneel by your bed and ask God too.” The next morning we both were excited to share something interesting God had given us. Both of us had separately received a promise in the Bible that was whispered to each of our hearts. In answer to our prayers, God showed the exact same verse to both of us. It was Isaiah 41:10.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

My confidence meter started to climb that day. I had a new assurance that I could follow God wherever He leads because He was inviting me into a relationship with Him that was based on a promise that He would always be with me to bear my burdens for me.