I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
(Numbers 11:14–15 NIV)
…. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
(1 Kings 19:4 NIV)
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
(Philippians 1:23-24 NIV)
These are the sentiments of three very powerful men. They are the words of Moses, Elijah, and Paul respectively. These men were called. They were chosen. They were anointed. Quite naturally, with their anointing came power.
They had access to God’s power in ways that the rest of us can only imagine. Can you imagine holding up a staff and God splitting an entire body of water through you? Can you imagine calling on God and He rains down fire from heaven on an alter at your request? Imagine being so endowed with Holy Spirit that even a handkerchief that was laid on your body carried power to heal others.
That’s the kind of power these men had through God. Elite status power. “Stupid power!” as my husband would say. Too much power for the average person honestly. It takes a special kind of person to carry that type of power. And yet, at times, these men viewed their lives as unbearably hard. So much so that they considered death better than life.
What can you and I glean from this? Most importantly, I think we should all consider that life can be burdensome at times. Yes, Christians should possess joy as it is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Yet, I don’t think it is logical or healthy to believe that we will not have our moments when life feels overwhelmingly hard.
The burden of power proved to be a bit much at times for these men. While we don’t have the same crazy power that Moses, Elijah, or Paul possessed, Christians who truly walk in Christ are endowed with a measure of power. Ephesians 3:20 states, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”.
Walking in our God-given power also means carrying associated burdens. Think about it this way. Satan only asked for Job because he knew Job walked with God and therefore possessed a certain measure of power. Whenever we decide that we are going to live for God, we automatically make Satan and hell our enemies. We naturally inherit the burden.
And that burden can be heavy. I think mental health is more openly talked about in Christian circles today, and that’s a good thing. If Moses, Elijah, or Paul would have said the words listed above to a therapist, they would have likely been diagnosed with some form of depression.
But these were simply the burdens of the called. Sometimes we have to understand that bouts of depression come with the power. In fact, I have read of more prophets having episodes of depression than not.
So, please understand that you are not alone if you are feeling heavy. Examine yourself. You may be heavy leaden simply because you are dripping in God’s power. Keep pushing. Don’t ask God to take the mountain from you. Ask God to help you climb it.
The burden was too much for Elijah and God agreed to carry him on home. God allowed Elisha to take Elijah’s place because the burden was too much for Elijah. I respect Elijah, but I don’t want God to take away my anointing or my calling because I feel it is too heavy. I don’t want yours taken either.
Let’s accept the fact that power, blessings, and callings will come with responsibilities and our share of burdens. Yet, God can aid us as we walk in our power. Your burdens, your cares, will feel much lighter if you cast them onto our Savior.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28 KJV)
Ain’t that something? Yes, power comes with burdens, but God will give us rest from the burdens if we give them to Him. Might I add that whether we are walking in power or not burdens will come. So, we shouldn't let the fear of burdens stop us from walking in every inch of power God has ordained for us to walk in.
Just be aware that feelings of wanting to give up while striding in power was commonplace for many of the anointed ones. So, it's normal if we have those feelings from time to time too.
But look at the work Moses did! Look at what Paul accomplished! Look at what Elijah did before he was taken up and look at the works Elisha did as Elijah's replacement. Dear reader, you have a work to do. But you can't do it without power.... which means it can't be done without burdens. But it can be done. And what a great work it'll be if you let God finish it through you.
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 1:6 NIV)
That is all for this week you guys. Go walk in your power. Toss those burdens associated with your power on God's shoulders. But if God requested you to feel the weight of the burden, lean into His strength. He's strong enough to support you, your power, and your burdens.
'Til next time, be blessed and have a great week.
Quin Arrington's debut book "And Then You Shall Have Good Success: Attaining Good Success God's Way" is available on Amazon in paperback and eBook format. Links listed below: