I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
Numbers 11:14

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Pray4me
Today's Journal
I'll pray today for...
* My spouse
* My children
* Their friends
* My friends
* My employer
* My city
* My country
* Civic leaders
* Schools
* Teachers

* The sick
* The lost
* Those in despair
* The hospitalized
* The grieving
* Widows
* Orphans

* My church
* My pastor
* Church leaders
* Other churches
* Persecuted church
* Missionaries
* Myself

One man can only do so much. That truth was no better illustrated than in the life of Moses as he led the children of Israel through the desert to the Promised Land.

Numbering well over one million people, virtually anyone could've approached Moses with their grievance, asking for guidance or asking him to settle some complaint or argument. With every passing day, Moses came to understand he could not do everything that was expected of him. He needed help and God provided him elders among the people to share the burden.

Perhaps you're like Moses in that you don't know how you can get through the day with everything that's expected of you. Moses asked for help and got it and that's exactly what we can do too. But sadly, most of us insist on doing everything ourselves and seldom, if ever, ask God for help. That is, unless the pressure of our failure becomes too great and in desperation we cry out to God for deliverance.

Isn't that the way most of us deal with sin? We carry it as long as we can or at least until pressure builds up like it's about to explode. Or maybe we just run head first into a spiritual brick wall driving us to our knees to ask God for help. It's then that the Holy Spirit prompts us with the futility of carrying such a load by ourselves. It's almost as if He says to us, "I've been here all along, even while you tried in vain to carry your burden alone. Why won't you call me?"

We believe that Psalm 51 was written by David after being confronted by Nathan concerning his sin against Uriah the Hittite and with his wife Bathsheba. "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you (God), you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight..."

I imagine everyone of us could write our own Psalm 51. Instead of promptly confessing our sin and asking forgiveness, too often we bury it in our heart, carry the guilt and withstand the physical pain that accompanies it. Amazingly, the consequences we bear as a result of our action can last a lifetime, but almost certainly longer than the duration of the actual sin.

Think about this for a moment: The guilt you feel, the pain you bear, the discomfort you carry may be a result of your failure to confess it more than the fact you sinned.

Listen, there are a lot of bad sins out there. I know because I'm the chief sinner of all. But there is no sin more egregious as the sin of failing to confess sin. God understands my propensity to sin, but I'm sure He often questions why knowing where forgiveness comes from, I don't seek His help more than I do.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( Nm. 10:1-11:23 Mk. 14:1-21 Ps. 51:1-19 Pr. 10:31-32 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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