Verse 22 of Psalm 55 is one of the most comforting promises in Scripture: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” This powerful truth was echoed centuries later by the apostle Peter when he urged believers, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God invites us—not just once, but continually—to transfer the weight of our fears, worries, and pressures onto His shoulders. Why? Because He knows we were never designed to carry them alone.
E. Stanley Jones, a missionary to India, learned this truth the hard way. When he first arrived in India, he was full of passion—but also full of worry. He worked tirelessly, pushing himself beyond his limits while carrying the heavy burden of constant anxiety. Soon his body began to break under the strain. “I was suffering so severely from brain fatigue and nervous exhaustion,” he later wrote, “that I collapsed, not once but several times.” Hoping to recover, he sailed back to America, but even during the journey home, he collapsed again and had to be put to bed by the ship’s doctor. After a year of rest, he attempted to return to India, but by the time he reached Bombay, he was emotionally shattered—“a bundle of nerves,” as he described it. His fellow workers told him he would die if he tried to continue in ministry under such strain.
One night, overwhelmed and broken, Jones cried out to God in prayer. In the stillness, he seemed to hear God speak to his heart: “Are you yourself ready for this work to which I have called you?” Jones answered honestly, “No, Lord, I am done for. I have reached the end of my resources.” Then came God’s gentle response: “If you will turn that over to me and not worry about it, I will take care of it.” Jones paused—and then surrendered. “Lord,” he said, “I close the bargain right here.”
In that moment of surrender, everything changed. Jones said a deep peace flooded his soul. Strength returned. Anxiety vanished. Hope came alive again. He went on to serve God in India for decades, writing more than 30 books and touching millions of lives around the world. He later testified, “My life was completely transformed and uplifted that night… when at the depth of my weakness and depression, a voice told me that if I gave this all to God, He’d take care of me. I closed that bargain—and God has never failed me.”