Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
My email inbox and Facebook tags are filled with prayer requests and cartoons which try to find humor as people “hang on” in the midst of very difficult situations. The final picture I saw before I began to write this was from a local news service which had posted a picture from a motor vehicle accident. The pieces of the car were scattered about. The accident must have involved a great deal of speed.
LORD, so many of Your children are in pieces. They are hurting and do not know how to put their lives, their emotions, back together. Bless them as You know they need. Bless me, LORD. I am so very thankful.
When the storms rage in our lives and we become so very weary, calling out to God does not require a detailed prayer. It does not require that I even know what to say or what to ask God to do! It just requires my heart to turn to Him. It is letting go – and letting God. That may seem like it belongs on a greeting card or bumper sticker, but it is the unvarnished truth. My pride or need to “handle” my life is what keeps the heaviness of burdens on my own shoulders and the confusion and chaos in my spirit.
A very popular song right now from the Disney movie Frozen is “Let it go!” I finally watched the movie about a month ago. The scene in which this song becomes the backdrop is when the Queen let’s go of trying to make everything right by being someone she is not. Do I hold God back from being my LORD and Savior by trying to solve my problems and live my life without being totally dependent on Him? Do I invite Him to share most of my life but tell Him “not to bother” with other parts that I should be able to handle?
I want to be strong and wise. I can do that by leaning on Jesus. I can do that by seeking the counsel and wisdom of His Holy Spirit. Every day. Several times a day!
Take time today or tonight and Let it go. Cast all your burdens upon God because – He loves you (1 Peter 5:7). Simple. Straightforward. See how God works. And then, give thanks. There is nothing I can do to earn God’s love and help. If you feel unworthy of God’s love, that’s normal. I can’t balance a scale that is totally tipped in one direction by love which cannot be equaled. God sealed my life in eternal fellowship with Him through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. I am God’s child and He takes care of His own. And when we people ask “How are you doing?” tell them Who it is holding you up and carrying you forward.
Give Thanks written by Henry Smith & sung by Don Moen
