Laying Down Our Burdens

Sustained

Artwork inspired by Psalm 55:22

Keiko Yamada

Acrylic Painting on Canvas

14 x 11 inch

Today's artwork depicts many leaf-shaped fragments melting as though they are being enveloped by something.

If each of these fragments represented the burdens we carry in our daily lives, what—or perhaps who—could receive those burdens as though wrapping them in an embrace and give us the strength to carry on?

The burdens that weigh us down like chains can differ greatly from person to person, both in their weight and in their form.

Conflict in relationships, problems at work, college entrance exam studies that aren't going as planned, an illness with no clear end in sight... The list could go on and on.

And when we want to lighten those burdens, even just a little, haven't many of us prayed at some point, whether or not we follow a particular religion?

Perhaps you've asked a pastor or priest to pray for you when you were struggling in a relationship.

Perhaps, when you felt stuck while preparing for a college entrance exam, you visited a Shinto shrine, placed an offering in the collection box, and prayed with all your heart.

Or perhaps, when disaster struck close to home, you folded your hands before a Buddhist statue by the roadside and prayed for safety.

Even if we don't usually think about it, haven't we offered prayers in many different ways throughout our lives?

Have you ever considered that the act of "praying" is one of the mysterious characteristics unique to human beings—something we don't see in other animals?

Sometimes, I find myself amazed by the intricacy of the human body and the way it works. From each individual cell, which seems to serve a purpose, to the countless actions we perform every day without even thinking about them, there is an astonishingly intricate design behind it all.

Some believe that human beings came into existence by chance and evolved over time. Yet whenever I encounter the remarkable complexity of human life, I cannot help but wonder whether there is a God who created us.

And if such a God does exist—if He is a being far greater than we are—perhaps He designed human beings with the ability to pray so that we could communicate with Him.

And perhaps, in order to reveal Himself to us more clearly, this God has given us the Bible in a way that is truly fascinating—through a process that seems impossible to explain by human effort alone.

Written over thousands of years and eventually brought together as one book, the Bible is a remarkable collection of 66 books. Although they were written by people from vastly different cultures and historical periods, they consistently tell the story of the same God.

A Prayer of Entrusting Our Burdens

The Bible also records a prayer by a man named David, who longed to be freed from the burdens he was carrying. This passage became the inspiration for this artwork.

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Psalm 55:22 (CSB)

These words seem to carry a deep confidence: that God not only hears our prayers, but is also someone to whom we can entrust our burdens and leave them in His hands. Even if the burden itself is not immediately taken away, He is the One who carries it with us, sustains us, strengthens us, and keeps us from being shaken.

Artwork "Sustained"

The Righteous?

But when I first read this prayer and came across the words “the righteous,” I honestly wondered, “Is David claiming that he himself is always the righteous one? David, isn't that a little arrogant?”

Psalm 55 is a prayer in which David cries out to God in the midst of the pain of being betrayed by a friend. As I read the entire psalm, I even came across words that sounded almost like curses—words that made me think, “Wait... is it really okay to pray something like this?”

When conflict arises in a relationship, it is understandable that the more emotional we become, the more strongly we may feel, “I'm right. My way of thinking is right.” I can understand the desire to prove the other person wrong. Still, there were times when I found myself thinking, “Isn't this going a little too far?”

And yet, when I myself experienced something similar to David—being betrayed by a close friend—I found that I could suddenly relate to his prayer in a way I hadn't before.

When we read Psalm 55 within the context of the Bible as a whole, we can see that it is a prayer in which David honestly brings his struggles and emotions before God. It is not a justification for us to curse our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-28, Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 24:29).

David himself knew better than anyone that he was not a perfectly righteous person. Yet he was also living in a situation where he had been clearly betrayed, where people continued to deceive others with smooth words, and where violence and wrongdoing seemed to fill the city. He was carrying a burden of inner conflict that was difficult to put into words.

At the same time, David was confident in the existence of a God who was not deceived by people's lies, who saw the whole situation, and who knew David himself completely.

That is why David could bring his anger and hatred before God just as they were, and ultimately entrust them—not to himself, but to God.

Perhaps prayer is a conversation that begins with acknowledging:

“God, you are long are God. I am not God. Therefore, I entrust these to your hands."

While doing what we can, we can also entrust to God the things that are not under our control.

Perhaps prayer is a journey of being released from the feeling that “I have to make everything right myself,” and returning ourselves to the One who will never be shaken.

The Joy of Seeing a Prayer Answered

I became a Christian during my sophomore year of college, and at the time, I didn't understand much about prayer.

One day, I attended a large gathering where tens of thousands of Christian college students had come together. Most of the programs were scheduled to take place outdoors. But while we were inside one of the buildings, it suddenly began to pour.

If the rain continued, the event scheduled for that day might have to be canceled. In the middle of all this, I was honestly surprised to see people praying desperately:

“God, please let the rain stop so that this gathering can take place.”

I remember thinking, “There’s no way prayer can make the rain stop.”

But contrary to all my doubts, the rain actually stopped. The sky above the gathering place began to clear, and the event was held outdoors as planned.

“Wait... God actually listens to prayers like that?”

After that, I began praying about all kinds of things.

During the gathering, I had been wanting to play the piano so badly. So I prayed:

“God, I want to play the piano. And if possible, I’d really like to play a white grand piano...”

Looking back, it was a pretty outrageous prayer. And, of course, I ended it in the classic Christian way: “In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”

Then, a few days later, I happened to visit a church near the venue. To my complete surprise, there was a white grand piano sitting right there in the sanctuary. I almost fell over.

As if that wasn't enough, I even found a four-leaf clover nearby. I was absolutely convinced that it was my lucky day.

“Wow, I’ve encountered an amazing God. I’m going to pray for this, and that, and everything else too!”

I remember getting a little carried away.

Around that time, I was majoring in piano at college and wanted to change piano teachers. It was a fairly difficult request to make at the time, but of course, I prayed about it.

“Please let me change teachers.”

However, when I received my new schedule, the same teacher’s name was still there.

“I guess my prayer wasn’t answered...”

I remember feeling disappointed. That was when an older student said something to me that I have never forgotten:

“The God of the Bible isn’t a genie. He is God.”

And of course, she was right.

If God were someone I could make move according to my own wishes, then I would already be making myself into god. Even if I called that being “God,” He would no longer be someone greater than me—or someone whose wisdom and goodness I could trust above my own.

Over time, I began to understand that prayer is not simply about asking, “Please give me whatever I think would be good for me.”

Prayer is a way of having a conversation with the God who knows me better than anyone else—a conversation about anything and everything. And as time went on, I experienced more and more how much joy and peace could be found in that relationship and in those conversations.

As I came to know God through these experiences, there were also times when I became painfully aware of just how self-centered and flawed I could be.

And each time, I am reminded of this:

It is NOT because of what I have done, but because of what Christ has done, that I can even come before Him in prayer, just as I am. The burden and consequences of my self-centered thoughts and the wrongs I have committed were carried by Christ on the cross. And He conquered both sin and death.

For that, my heart overflows with gratitude to Jesus Christ.

The Burdens We Have Not Yet Been Able to Entrust

If each of these fragments represents the burdens we carry in our daily lives, then Jesus Christ is the One who understands each of our burdens as though embracing them and who can give us strength.

You may notice something like a black leaf in the lower-left corner of the artwork. It represents a burden that has not yet been entrusted to God.

Are there burdens you have not yet brought to God in prayer?

Or perhaps burdens that you have entrusted to Him many times, only to find yourself picking them up and carrying them again?

Are there burdens that have become even heavier because of that?

There is an old hymn called “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,”. Its lyrics beautifully express the grace of being able to entrust our burdens to God through prayer.

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?I

s there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged—Take it to the Lord in prayer.

This time, I arranged and recorded this hymn. As you listen to the arrangement, why not take the burdens you are carrying right now and entrust them to God in prayer?

What a friend we have in Jesus DEMOKeiko Iris Yamada

5:27

This arrangement also combines the hymn with a Chinese worship song titled 「主你是我最知心的朋友」, which could be translated into English as something like, “Lord, You Are the Friend Who Knows My Heart Better Than Anyone.” This song, too, speaks of Jesus Christ as a friend who understands our burdens and carries them with us.

No matter what culture we come from or what circumstances we may find ourselves in, there is no burden that Jesus Christ cannot understand.

May each of us find strength and comfort in Him and continue moving forward, one step at a time.

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Thank you for reading. God bless you!