Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord

When Alma and his people prayed to be delivered from bondage, the Lord did not immediately set them free. But He did make life better for them. “I will…ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders,” He said, “that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage.” The promise was fulfilled: “The burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease” (Mosiah 24:14-15).

Years later, Alma’s son (also named Alma) taught a group of people who were downtrodden and oppressed. He concluded his remarks with the following prayer: “May God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son” (Alma 33:23).

Elder Ulisses Soares testified that those same blessings are available to us:

The Savior offers us relief and comfort as we face our afflictions, temptations, and weaknesses of mortal life…. As we draw nearer to Him, surrendering ourselves spiritually to His care…we will receive the strength we all need to overcome the hardships, weaknesses, and sorrows of life, which are exceedingly difficult to endure without His help and healing power.

“Jesus Christ: The Caregiver of Our Soul,” General Conference, April 2021

The fifty-fifth psalm offers the following words of counsel to believers:

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22

I love Felix Mendelssohn’s setting of these words in the oratorio “Elijah.” (See Hymns, 110.) As you listen to this recording by the Century Singers at Texas A&M University, notice how the orchestra subtly supports the choir without distracting from the simple and powerful message:

Today, I will let the Lord ease my burdens. Even as I continue to carry some of them, I will draw nearer to Him, knowing that He can strengthen me and make my burdens seem light.