How to Give Your Burdens to God When Life Feels Heavy

As my children grew older I found the laundry piles increased in size. Their clothes, which used to be tiny and could be done in one load, now took several loads! I also needed bigger laundry baskets. The house we lived in several years ago had two flights of stairs. I had to lug the laundry from the basement to the top floor each day. 

The relief I felt after placing that basket at the foot of my bed each day was tangible. As my children have gotten older and life unfolds everyday around me, I’ve found myself carrying more than laundry baskets. My children’s problems, family situations, finances, decisions, and other people’s emotions began to weigh me down. 

What kinds of things do you find yourself carrying today? The invisible burdens are often the hardest. God doesn’t ask me or you to carry the emotional burdens of others. Yes, we care and bring those cares to the Lord, but ultimately, we are not asked to bear the heavy load of difficult circumstances or people. 

David’s Pain in Psalm 55

David, the author of our psalm, knew about betrayal over the course of his life. This psalm could have been written at various different parts of David’s life. We are not told when or the circumstances surrounding this psalm, but what we see is an honest, reflective, and desperate cry from David. It is here, in the pages of scripture, so that we can also turn to God, no matter our circumstances. 

David honestly cried out to God. We’ve listened to several psalms of lament during the past fifty episodes. Lament is crying out in trust to God. This kind of crying out to God is a way to move forward when the pain feels bigger than God’s promises. David’s pain, his betrayal, causes him to want to leave. He says: “And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” Psalm 55:6 (ESV)

David’s Solution in Psalm 55

Although David was genuinely distressed, he did not stay in that state of turmoil. After lamenting and wishing for his life to be better, he says: “but I call to God and the LORD will save me.” (Psalm 55:16) He goes on for the next few verses to remind himself of everything God does. God redeems, listens, and protects. Then David turns to the listener of his song. He commanded us to do something. He says to cast our burdens onto God. This didn’t mean his problems disappeared; it meant he no longer had to carry them alone. 

Cast your burden on the Lord,

    and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

    the righteous to be moved. -Psalm 55:22

What Does Giving a Burden to God Look Like?

There is a cycle when we carry burdens that we all sometimes find ourselves on. If we find ourselves worrying, we know the place we need to go to is God. So we have our quiet time with Jesus – whatever that looks like! Then we pray. Often we surrender our people and plans to God. Maybe we will read a Bible verse and pray some more. Peace fills our hearts and worry seems to melt away. 

Before we step out of our quiet time with God and back into “real life,” we pick up those invisible burdens again and go about our day. There are times I have stopped myself in the middle of driving somewhere and say, “But you prayed about this this morning – why are you still worried?” 

How do we really, on a practical level, give our burden to God? I think we need to see worry as a circle. Worry isn’t something to check-off our list or complete. It comes back. Again and again. Those burdens, even though they are invisible, still weigh us down. I think it is because we don’t see this idea of “casting our burdens” as something to be repeated on a daily, moment-by-moment basis. 

4 Steps to Give God Your Burdens

Just recently I have started doing this in my own life. I am not perfect at it and if I find myself up at night worrying (link to podcast) I have to remind myself of these four steps. Each one can lift the burdens from your heart, but step number four is the key! 

Step One – Prayer

Notice that David called to God in Psalm 55:16. To cast our burdens on God means we pray. It might seem obvious, but that is the key to prayer. We come to God and lift our voices to him. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (emphasis mine)

Step Two – Surrender

Psalm 55 ends with this phrase: but I will trust in you… To be able to trust someone means we surrender. God says he is with us. Elisabeth Elliot said: We do not live on a sea of chaos. God’s got this and we need only surrender our hearts (and the outcome!) to Him. We can do this because God loves us! 

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Step Three – Scripture

Although we’ve mentioned before, we know that David loved God’s word. Just take a moment to read Psalm 119! The word of God is there to help ease our worries because it reminds us of God’s love and care. 

“This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” Psalm 119:50

Step Four – Repeat

This is the most important step and often one we forget. This is the key. God says we keep coming back, over and over again to him with our burdens. David tells us this in Psalm 55. 

“Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.” Psalm 55:17

We can keep coming to God with prayer, surrender, and to His word for comfort. God does not ask us to carry the burdens alone. We have His strength, His love, and His presence! 

Weekly Practice:

At the end of each day, write down one burden you’ve been carrying and pray, “God, this belongs to You.”

This post is part of the Fall 2026 Blog Series

Every Day with God: Meeting with Jesus in Every Season of Life

Abiding isn’t just a summer lesson—it’s a lifelong way of walking with Jesus. Whether life is joyful or difficult, busy or quiet, we can meet with God every single day through His Word.

“One thing have I asked of the Lord…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” — Psalm 27:4

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