In this powerful passage, Paul exhorts Christians to lay their burdens at God’s feet and trade them for His glory. The song, “Trading My Sorrows,” was written spontaneously by Darrell Evans in 1997 during a worship service. It has since become one of Darrell’s most powerful songs, and he believes it’s helped many people to deal with difficult situations.
First, we must understand the meaning of the word “trading.” It has two possible interpretations. The first, that it implies the trading of worldly sorrow for Godly joy, is more Biblical.
The second, that it implies that following Jesus automatically means no more suffering in this life, is a much less Biblical interpretation. It is also easier to misunderstand for someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of Christian doctrine.
For example, I can hear the uninformed outsider to Christianity listening to this song and assuming that they can simply trade their worldly sorrow for Godly joy without ever having to deal with any more suffering in this life. This song is a testimonial to the true, Godly joy that can come from laying down one’s own sorrows in favor of His.
In addition to being a testimony of Godly joy, this song also highlights the fact that we are fragile clay jars. When the precious treasure of knowing God’s glory through faith in Christ is kept within us, it is baked into our very being. These fragile vessels are not strong enough to carry this treasure on their own. Therefore, they are dependent upon the power of God to keep them from being wiped out.
