Would You Like to Be a Burden Bearer?

I want to ask you a question.

Would you like to be a burden bearer?
Would you like to carry the heart of God?

Now, I realize that for some, that language might feel unfamiliar at first. Every sphere has its own vocabulary, and sometimes in the Church we use phrases that make sense to those who have been around them for a while, but not necessarily to everyone. So let me slow this down and say it plainly.

To be a burden bearer is to partner with God in prayer by carrying something that originates in His heart, not your own.

And I want to tell you personally, this has been one of the most consistent callings in my life. It hasn’t been something that has come and gone. It has marked me over time in a very real and personal way:

Not just a passing emphasis
Not only a seasonal focus
But a lifelong invitation to feel what He feels and respond

And I believe we are in a moment right now where this matters in a fresh way.

As we approach this time of the re-dedication of the United States of America to God, even looking toward this 250-year milestone, there is an invitation from heaven that goes far beyond attending an event or gathering in a particular place. Whether someone goes to Washington, D.C. or not, is not really the point. The deeper issue is whether we will agree together with God in prayer in this hour.A Partnership with the Holy Spirit

In moments like this, the Holy Spirit begins to place things upon people, not randomly, but intentionally. Sometimes it comes as a gentle impression that lingers, and other times it carries a weight that you recognize did not originate from your own thinking. Scripture gives us language for this. There is a word, kabod, that speaks of the weight of God’s glory, and there are times when that weight rests upon a person in such a way that you realize you are no longer just praying your own ideas.

You are carrying something from Him.
There is a picture that has stayed with me over the years that helps bring language to this. When Jesus was making His way toward Jerusalem, what we often refer to as the triumphal entry, He chose to ride on a young donkey — a beast of burden. Years ago, when we had donkeys on our property, I noticed something about them. There was a marking along their back and across their shoulders that formed what looked like a cross.

I never forgot that image.

Here was a creature designed to carry, marked in a way that pointed to the cross, and given the assignment of carrying Jesus into a divine moment. And I believe that is, in many ways, a picture of us. We have the privilege of carrying what carries Him and participating with Him in seeing His purposes unfold on the earth.

Now this is important to understand. When the hand of the Lord comes upon someone and then lifts, there are times when something remains that was not there before. It is as if a deposit has been made within you; a burden, a responsibility, a partnership with the Holy Spirit that you did not initiate, but now you are invited to steward.

The Apostle Paul gives us language for this in Romans 8:22, where he speaks of “creation groaning and travailing together.” It is the language of birthing, of bringing something forth. The Hebrew Scriptures use the word yalad, which refers to bringing forth or acting as a midwife. So there is a dimension of prayer that is not just speaking words, but actually partnering with God to birth something.At the same time, we need wisdom as we walk this out. Not every expression of burden–bearing looks the same, and not everything belongs in every setting. Scripture calls us to do things decently and in order, and that matters. But we also have to be careful not to remove something simply because we do not yet understand how to steward it well.

Over the years, I have watched how easy it is for environments to become so structured and so tightly managed that there is very little room left for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, let alone the weight of His presence. And I remember sensing the Lord say something that has stayed with me:

Where is the space for those who are carrying something from My heart?

Because this kind of partnership does require something of us:

• Maturity
• Pastoral wisdom
• Discernment

It needs to be taught. It needs to be shepherded. And it needs to be understood so that what is genuinely from God is not dismissed simply because it is unfamiliar.

God is still looking for those who will carry what is on His heart.

And this is where many people miss an important part of the process. They receive something from the Lord, but instead of partnering with Him in it, they continue to carry it in their own strength, and over time what was meant to be a grace becomes something that weighs them down.

But Jesus was very clear when He said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). So the process matters. We receive what He gives, we carry it for the measure of grace that He supplies, and then we release it back to Him. We do not hold onto it indefinitely. We take it to the throne of God and entrust it back into His hands.

And I want you to know: this kind of partnership is not reserved for a select few. This is something that can take place in your everyday life, in your own home, in quiet moments with the Lord. You may find yourself carrying His heart for a loved one, for a situation, for this nation, or even for something beyond your immediate world

So I want to come back to where I began and ask you again:

Will you say yes?

Not just as a concept, but as an invitation.

Will you allow the Lord to entrust you with what is on His heart and partner with Him in carrying it the way He intends?

I believe that in this hour, He is inviting many into this place, and as you respond, there will be things deposited within you that were not there before.

Will you join me and carry His heart?

James W. Goll

P.S. Let’s pray the prayer below.