Roll it over onto Him

 

Proverbs 16:3 KJV - Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

For some reason this verse in Proverbs will not stay out of my mind. It floods my thoughts. It invades my wakeful hours in the night watches. Certain words pop out like a flashing neon sign as I read them randomly in other contexts. It is a well-known verse and one that I have quoted numerous times along with its related verses.

And so, here I sit, pouring over it once again. Straining to find any hidden meanings. Looking for any sparkling gems or treasures that lie beneath the surface. I dig a little deeper and begin to look into the Hebrew meanings. I read the verses surrounding it, but Proverbs is unlike any other book of the Bible.

There is no particular plot or storyline found in its pages. There are no main characters in the book. What stands out is wisdom. It takes center stage. It is a divine wisdom that spans all peoples, cultures and history. What we read is just as relevant today as it was over 3000 years ago.

I love that we have such a bounty of resources at our fingertips from men and women who have studied and researched and written for our benefit the things they have learned in order that we can better understand the Word of God. I am still and always will be a student of the Word of God. I am not an academic and I don’t even pretend to know the mysteries that lie in the pages of the Bible, but I try my best to interpret scripture correctly through my own study and through using the helps that are easily accessible.

And so, to that end, I want to share what I have learnt as I have dug into this verse a little deeper. I know it is not exhaustive and I encourage you to do your own study.

The very first word in this verse has had me praising God and rejoicing in the word choice as it conveys so much more meaning than a cursory glance.

Commit.

The Hebrew word used here is galal. For years I have treated this verse as a transactional verse. Almost like a gentle suggestion to include God in my planning. And if I did, he would help guide my paths.

But the Hebrew verb is so much more. It carries the physical image of rolling a heavy stone. It holds the meaning of rolling your burden off yourself and onto someone else. This is lifting what is too heavy for you and physically transferring it.

It’s not a transaction. It is a man, literally at the end of his strength, pushing a stone he can’t carry any longer, rolling it off himself and onto something or someone else. This word commit assumes you are already crushed. It assumes the weight is real. The burden is heavy. It is desperation meeting a God big enough to handle what you can’t.

You were carrying something. It was crushing you. And you found solid ground to roll it onto. God. The solid rock.

We see this Hebrew word galal used again in Psalm 37:5 - Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And again, in Joshua 5:9 where we read that the Lord ‘rolled the reproach of Egypt off the people’. It Genesis 29:3 it literally says that they ‘rolled the stone from the well’s mouth’. Same word. Galal. Commit.

Are you getting the picture yet? By committing our works to the Lord, we are rolling our burdens onto him. We are entrusting them to a God who is bigger and greater than everything we find too heavy to carry. It is a total surrender of our plans and actions to God, trusting him with the outcome.

These works that we are committing can be many things. They can be our everyday plans. Our never-ending to-do lists. Our future dreams and hopes. Our labours. Our endeavours. But all of these things can become weights that we are not able to bear. They can become heavy stones that need rolling over onto a God strong enough to carry them.

Make sure you keep in mind who it is we are to commit our works, our pursuits, our achievements to. Not a what, but a who. Commit thy works unto the Lord. He is the only one that can be fully entrusted with our lives.

And when we do, what is the promise?

Our thoughts will be established. Our plans, our purposes, our intentions, our imaginations. They will be established.

Established.

This is the Hebrew word kun. It has many synonyms and uses throughout the Bible. Fixed. Firm. Stable. Prepared. Made ready. Settled. Strengthened.

This is not a guarantee of success in every human endeavour, but rather an alignment of our plans with God’s will leading to our fulfilment. This goes along with Matthew 6:33 when we seek God first, he brings blessing.

When we roll over our plans onto God, he gives stability to what otherwise might ‘wobble’. He brings peace where there would be anxiety. He causes fruit to grow where there was barrenness.

When we commit our ways to him, he shapes, steadies and brings our plans to completion that serve him and align with his perfect and holy will.

So, are there some practical steps we can take to help bring some clarity to this verse? I believe there are.

1.        Acknowledge the burden or work you are needing to roll over onto God. The first step is to recognize and admit you have something that needs handing over to God. Acknowledge you are in need of divine assistance. Psalm 55:22

2.        Pray with faith. You need to ask God in faith, believing that he will do what he promised. In Philippians 4:6-7, we are reminded that if we bring our requests to God with thanksgiving, he will give us his peace. But we must believe that he is capable of handling the heavy burden we carry. We must pray in faith.

3.        Trust in God’s promises. This goes along with faith. We have to trust that God will fulfil his promises to us. We have to trust that what he says in his Word is true and faithful and he will come through. Proverbs 3:5,6.

4.        Meditate on Scripture. God’s Word brings comfort and guidance. When we saturate our lives with God’s Word, when we read it daily, when we commit verses to memory to think on them throughout the day, we are better equipped to walk through life with confidence. When we are in the Word, we learn more of God and when we learn more of his character, we are more able to fully trust in him. Psalm 119:105

5.        Seek fellowship and support. Here’s where I jump onto one of my hobby horses. Christian community should be a source of support, strength and accountability. We need each other. In Galatians 6:2 we are instructed to bear each other’s burdens. If you are carrying a heavy load, not only do you need to roll it over onto the Lord, but you need the support and encouragement of brothers and sisters in Christ to help you to stand firm and keep on going when life gets hard.

6.        Practice gratitude. I can’t emphasize this one enough. I have seen it work over and over in my life. Gratitude helps to shift our focus off our burdens and onto the blessings we have been given. The simple act of thanking God for at least 3 things each day, writing them down and praying them back to God in thanksgiving is life changing. Try it and see if I’m wrong. Gratitude will give you an attitude adjustment and change your perspective. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

7.        Release control. This is not an easy one. This means we have to let go of the outcome and the future we have planned in our head and surrender it to God. We have to surrender to God’s will and his perfect timing, no matter how senseless it may seem. In Psalm 46:10, we are told to be still. The Hebrew word for ‘still’ is the word raphah. It doesn’t mean to sit quietly with your emotions. It doesn’t mean to sit in silence. It means to LET GO. Release your grip. Let it fall. Stop striving. Stop trying to control what you were never meant to carry.

8.        Rest in God’s sovereignty. We have to rest in God’s supreme rule and absolute authority over all that exists. We can rest in the knowledge that God is orchestrating all things for our ultimate good. We need to learn to trust and rest in the knowledge that God knows all things and is in control of all things and is a holy and just God. If we can do this it will bring more peace in our lives. Just knowing who God is and what position he holds can help to settle us and we will be more able to roll our burdens onto him. Romans 8:28

So, if I can encourage you today to do just one thing, to take one small step in the right direction, it would be this.

Take that ‘work’, that heavy burden, that ambition, that pursuit, that labour, take the stone that you’re carrying that is too heavy for you, the weight God never asked you to carry and roll it over onto him. Commit it to him. Trust the outcome to him. Don’t continue to let the burden of what you’re carrying crush you. He is able to bear it.

Commit it to him and let him steady you. Let him give you a firm footing. Let him bring his peace to your mind and soul.

1 Peter 5:7 KJV - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.