Hymnal Page Scan: We Bear the Strain of Earthly Care Hymnary.org

Keyboard Recording:

1 We bear the strain of earthly care,
But bear it not alone;
Beside us walks our Brother Christ
And makes our task His own.

2 Through din of market, whirl of wheels,
And thrust of driving trade,
We follow where the Master leads,
Serene and unafraid.

3 The common hopes that make us men
Were His in Galilee;
The tasks He gives are those He gave
Beside the restless sea.

4 Our brotherhood still rests in Him,
The Brother of us all,
And o’er the centuries still we hear
The Master’s winsome call.

We can use this hymn when we are meditating on the imagery of casting our cares on Jesus. The 1st verse talks about how we bear the strain of earthly care, but we don’t bear it alone; our Brother Christ walks beside us and makes our task His own. Jesus is with us every moment of our lives — watching over us as the Good Shepherd. Think of the tender regard a Shepherd would have for his sheep during the day. He would wonder…is the sheep tired? has the sheep eaten? is the sheep thirsty? Jesus has the same regard for us. He knows us by name, and He knows everything we will be experiencing throughout the day…whether we are at home, or at school, or at work, or out at a store. He knows we need earthly resources and He wants to help us through the stresses of this life.

The 2nd verse talks about how we follow Jesus…follow His leading, serene and unafraid…as we go through our daily tasks. We listen for His voice and we follow His guidance.

The 3rd verse is about how we can trust in Jesus to help us because He understands the strain and care of daily labor. Hebrews 2:17-18 (BSB) says, “17For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonementh for the sins of the people. 18Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” And Hebrews 4:14-16 (BSB) says, “14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” The next part of the 3rd verse, which says, “The tasks He gives (us) are those He gave beside the restless sea,” reminds us that our daily tasks are much the same as the daily tasks of the people that were here during Jesus’ incarnation and walked with Him in Galilee. We still need to have food, clothing, and shelter and we still experience illness and the stresses involved in earthly life that make getting those things toilsome.

The 4th verse says, “Our brotherhood still rests in Him, The Brother of us all, And o’er the centuries still we hear the Master’s winsome call.” So, in the same way that He led our brothers in Christ through their lives on earth, Jesus will also lead us through our lives and help us with bearing the strain of earthly care.

Our earthly cares include the physical tasks that we have to do. They also include all of our stresses and anxieties about everything in our lives…they include our emotions. I will be writing more soon about what this means. Right now, take time with starting to envision Jesus walking beside you on the pathway. You are carrying a heavy burden on your shoulder. Jesus reaches out His hand to you and says, “Cast your cares on Me.” So you hand them to Him…and entrust them to His care. Then you continue walking with Him on the path throughout your day. What we will be focusing on is finding comfort in the fact that we can trust Him with everything in our lives. He is our loving Shepherd. He already knows our needs and already wants to help us. We are acknowledging that we need Him…we need His help in all things…and we are showing that we trust Him to help us. We trust in His wisdom and His goodness. We surrender our all to Him…and seek His guidance for every step through this life on earth. And Jesus is right there ready to take your burden from you and be the light for your pathway all the way home to heaven.