Unload

 Karl and I have pooled our various devotional booklets, and some mornings there is quite a wide range of topics.  I keep waiting for the day when all of them will have the same subject.  Wouldn’t that be a very clear indication that the Holy Spirit was really trying to get something through to us?

This morning, four of them had a similar theme, so I am going to share them with you.

We started off with a daily devotional in the book of Proverbs by Timothy and Kathy Keller.  The subject was that no one can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin” from chapter 20 verse 9.  The way that this tied in with the others was that we were reminded that (1) everyone is lost and (2) we can only be saved by God’s grace.  The point was that “the wise fuel their efforts for right living out of joy and gratitude for the free salvation they have in Christ.  They escape the drudgery and crushing motive of seeking righteousness in order to deserve it.”

Then Joyce Meyer shared about Psalm 28:7:  “The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable} Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.”  She talked about unloading our burdens on Jesus, about how she had over-scheduled herself, and was having to lean on Him to help her sort it out and work through it.  She used the quote “too busy not to pray”.  She also said, “The grace we need is always there when we need it, not before we need it.”

The Daily Bread started with Philippians 4:6:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  This author talked about the stress of her moving day, which she found not too stressful at all, and she realized that it was because she had been immersing herself in Scripture and prayer.  She says, “When we pray - and ‘rejoice in’ God (V. 4) - we refocus our mind from the problem to our Provider.”

And then my online daily devotional from Andrew Wommack used as its text Matthew 11:28-30:  “Come unto Me, all you 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.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  When we are sharing a yoke with Jesus, He is always pulling “more than His ‘share’ of the load; therefore, our burden is light.  The most loving father in the world cannot compare with the love our Heavenly Father has for us.  And yet, many times we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf.  Relatively few people really doubt God’s ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without.  Jesus assures us that God’s love, and His  willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.”

To me, this was all a reminder about freedom: (1)  that I can completely trust what God’s grace has purchased, a free salvation not earned or deserved, which leaves me able to live right just because of gratitude to Him; (2) that I can lean on Him for grace to help in any situation, no matter how busy; (3) that I can sail through stressful situations when I fill myself with the Word and do a lot of communing with my dear Lord, presenting my needs to Him with thanksgiving, and (4) that He invites us to rest in Him, because He is not only able but also willing to give  us that rest for our souls.  Don’t ever think that you can overburden our God.  If He knows the number of hairs on your head, He is obviously interested in every tiny detail of our lives.  No matter that there are eight billion people living on this planet; He cares about you and anything you care about.  He considers it humility on our part when we lay it all down at His feet:  “Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6,7).

What a picture again of the love and provision we can receive from our dear, generous, compassionate, merciful, faithful, beautiful, loving heavenly Father!  If we just turn to Him in all our needs and give Him our burdens, He is so ready and willing to bear them.  And we are urged to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  Sit with Him today, and tell Him all that is in your heart.  He knows it already, but is delighted when we talk to Him about it.