Posts
Thursday, June 2
*I felt led to rework this old post and repost it. I pray it blesses you...
“Come to Me...” Do we heed those words? Do we go to the Lord to drop all our burdens at His feet? Or do we usually carry those heavy loads all by ourselves? Or do we give them to Him and, then, snatch them back again?
Peter said, “Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.” (1 Peter 5:7 TLB)
“...all of you who are weary...” Don’t we weary ourselves with worries, even though Jesus gave the command to “not worry about your life”? (Matt. 6:25a NIV)
You know how the dictionary defines worry, don’t you? To torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts, fret, or be in a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems.
Hmmm...actual or potential problems. How often do we torment ourselves by fretting over those problems, whether real or the imagined what-ifs? Instead of focusing on the Lord, we permit those worries to divert our focus, causing ourselves more anxiety.
“...and carry heavy burdens...” David said, “Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed.” (Ps. 143:4 NKJV) Overwhelmed is defined as to envelop oneself, be feeble or faint, or grow weak. Distressed is defined as to be desolate, grow numb, appalled, devastated, ravaged.
David said he was overwhelmed and distressed because “the enemy has persecuted my soul.” (Ps. 143:3 NKJV) Sometimes, we walk around hunched over like a question mark, bent from the burdens we let the enemy pile on us.
Allowing worries, whether real or imagined, to envelop us produces a mist of care, concealing our view of our precious Lord. Our path becomes fogged, our spirit suffers, our prayer languishes, and our relationship with the Lord deteriorates.
Jesus said, “Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?” No, of course not. “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow.” (Matt. 6:27 TLB, Matt. 6:34a TLB)
“...and I will give you rest.” Rest. Refreshment. Such as, “He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” (Ps. 23:2b-3a NKJV)
When we keep our minds focused on the Lord, “[He] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in [Him], all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him]!” (Isa. 26:3 NLT)
Do we fix our thoughts on Him or on our worries and cares? Do we release our grasp on them to receive what He offers us?
No godly soul ever grew in intimacy with the Lord or gained spiritual sight of His presence by carrying a load of burdens or worries. When difficulties blur our vision of our Beloved, we relinquish the very thing we seek: hearing the whispers of His heart, feeling the comfort of His arms, and knowing the peace of His nearness.
Therefore, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers.” (Phil. 4:6 TLB)
Is there a mist of care obstructing your view of your Beloved? Walk through that mist of care and you will see the image of your Beloved with His outstretched arms. Drop your burdens there at His feet. And as the old song says, “You’ll never walk alone.”
“Come to Me...and I will give you rest.”
