Burden Shifting

So I was reading the Bible one day….and I had a law school moment (I don’t admit it much, but I LOVE IT when that happens). It happened in Mark 9:14-27. There, a story is told of a man, his possessed son…and Jesus. The man brought his son to Jesus, describes the problem, and says “if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (v. 22) Jesus, being….Jesus, responds and says “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (v. 23) There’s a shift between those two verses that I want to show you today, so come on! Let’s go...

While in law school, I’ve learned about something called a burden. The ‘burden’ is the responsibility to prove something. For example, the prosecution in a case likely has a burden to prove a defendant is guilty. Now, that burden can be shifted. When a burden is shifted, the other party officially has the duty to prove something else. Believe it or not, that is what I see when I look at this story. 

The father brings his son to Jesus, & essentially says “if you can do anything to fix this…please….fix this.” He placed a burden on Jesus to fix the problem. He placed the burden on Jesus to bring a solution. However, in the next verse, Jesus shifts a burden on the father to be a part the solution. The father says ‘please…you…do something’, and, in essence, Jesus responds with ‘please…you…do something’. The father placed a burden on Jesus…and Jesus shifted that burden onto the father. More specifically, Jesus shifted the burden to the father’s faith. Have you ever considered the possibility that you’re part of the solution to your own problem? Many times, we go to God in prayer...about things we have the power to change. 

In that shift, we find the father’s weakness. That weakness takes us to his honesty, and that honesty leads us right to the miracle. The father places a burden on Jesus’ capabilities (if You can do anything); Jesus shifts that burden to the father’s faith (if you can believe). That burden shift hit a soft spot, and the father immediately says “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” That took a lot of honesty and transparency. You’re standing in a crowd….with a possessed son (who’s possession is throwing a complete fit)…in front of JESUS (who’s rumored to be a big deal)....but you don’t completely believe. The last time you believed, you got hurt. The last time you believed, you were disappointed. The last time you believed, it got worse. Yet…here He is….asking you to believe….again.

It takes honesty and courage to tell God that…you don’t completely believe in Him. Then again, maybe it’s not that you don’t believe in Him, but you don’t believe He’ll do it for you. There’s also the deeper possibility that it has nothing to do with your belief in God’s ability…but yours. Could it be that you don’t doubt God, but you doubt yourself. You doubt your ability to fulfill His promise. If so, let me help you, and remind you that it’s not your job to fulfill God’s promise; it’s your job to believe that He will. Many times, we doubt God because we don’t see how we could do it. Sweetie, you weren’t supposed to do it, you’re supposed to believe! Stop taking on God jobs when you only have human qualifications. I recognize that faith without works is dead, but I also know that God creates & opens the door…we were made to walk through it. 

I want to encourage you to not take on burdens & responsibilities that you aren’t supposed to handle, but to give God jobs to the God that brought you this far. I want you to stop worrying about how it’s going to happen, and just believe that it’s going to happen. You can’t afford to overthink in this season. You can’t afford to let your flesh win in this season. You can’t afford to let go…you can only afford to hold on to Him. I want you to know God well enough to be honest with Him, and let Him know when your faith gets weak. That way, you’ll be able to watch His strength kick in. Trust that if God has shifted this burden to your faith, He’s already placed the solution inside of you. You may need Him to show it to you, but luckily….He’s God enough to handle that *wink*. 

Background music: Help Me Believe - Kirk Franklin

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