“He (God) had been trying for years to bring me to him, but I had never listened. Finally, I was at a point where I didn’t have any more of my own ideas.” – excerpt from John’s Story
When we’re out of options and have tried everything we can think of, there is still hope. If we’re in a place where we think nobody will understand, remember…we are never alone. Today’s promise reminds us that we don’t have to carry the weight of our problems on our shoulders. Jesus promises that if bring our troubles to Him, that He will give us rest while He guides us through the mess. We explored this promise once before. Let’s take another peek:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Matthew 11:28-29
Come. The invitation is there for us to lay our burdens down. There’s nothing we can bring God that will surprise Him or shake Him. We can lay down our heavy, burdened hearts, our experiences, our struggles. We can tell Him what happened. We can tell Him how we feel about it. “…and I will give you rest.”. Rest. When was the last time someone offered us rest?
Take. What does it mean to take up His yoke? It means we can trust Him. We can surrender this load that we are carrying. We don’t have to carry it alone. Even if nobody we know understands, He will. We matter to Him, each of us does. Let Him show us the way through this. Let Him lead us to a better place. When we ‘take up His yoke’, we choose to listen to Him and to obey His commands. Unlike other commands we may have heard, His commands are always good and true, and have our best in mind.
Learn. This is where we finally find peace. Once we have trusted Him with our burdens, once we realize He hasn’t bailed on us, gotten frustrated with us, or been disappointed in us, we can relax. Now we can learn from Him and begin to walk forward to life after our experiences. We can finally look up and walk towards the horizon. This is where healing happens. He will redeem and restore the losses, the betrayals, the mistakes, the broken hearts, and the empty, lonely places. He will teach us His promises and the life he has planned for us. Finally, we can have Peace.
– excerpt from Battlefield Without Boundaries
If this is new to you, feel free to reach out to us and tell us your story. You are not alone.
You can DOWNLOAD and PRINT today’s journal page HERE.
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What is it you’re facing? Nobody goes into battle alone. We can stand with you. Let us know in the comments below how we can pray for you, or by submitting your story.
He will fight for you.
Hope Shack 