“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”

Psalm 68:19-20

The details of Psalm 68 are complex and it is hard to see how the various stanzas fit together. One key to understanding is to notice the verbs describing God. Some tell what God has done (vs 7–10), some tell what God still does (vs 19,20), and some tell what God will do (vs 21,22). God is the God who acted in the past, who acts in the present, and who will continue to act into the future.

High points of this psalm are found in verse 5, where God is described as a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows, two groups who are often the most vulnerable members of society, and verse 10 where God provides for the poor out of his rich bounty. Verse 19 is also a high point: our God is a burden-bearing God. The gods of the surrounding nations were lifeless gods who had to be carried, but our God is the God who daily carries our burdens. We find in Him true rest and peace (Mt 11:28; Phil 4:6-7). Since our God is like this, it is no wonder that the final stanza calls on the kings of the earth to sing praises to God and proclaim his power (35). Bring your burdens to our burden-bearing God and leave them there. There is no god like our God.

CLOSING PRAYER

Sovereign Lord, there is no one like you. There is no one else who can fill my greatest need and yet attend to the smallest of my concerns. Nothing about me passes you by. Indeed, you are the great lover of my soul. Hallelujah!

(Edited Encounter with God)