Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT.
Isn’t that an amazing invitation? Come. It’s a simple invite. Come to me. Jesus is issuing a very simple opportunity. Come to me. Not to your friend, not to your own mind, but to Him. When does He want us to come? When we are all clean, tidy and strong? No, He says, come to me all who are weary and carry heavy burdens.
None of us like to think we could possibly be like the Pharisees or Sadducees straining at gnats and swallowing camels! But sometimes, our own soul coupled with Satan’s lies cause us to add weights to our walk with Him. We pass judgements on ourselves or others based on those weights. We start focusing on the unimportant instead of what really leads to life. It’s not the amount of Bible reading that produces fruit, it is allowing what we read to change us. It isn’t the amount of time we spend in prayer, but the connection we make with Him and the Holy Spirit. It is important to remember who we are coming to—our Savior. Not to a “what”, but to a “who”. And what a “who.”!
He wants us to come simply as we are. With open hearts and listening ears. I’ve been invited to celebrate some dear friends 40th ministry anniversary. It is in Grants Pass, Oregon. Which is about five hundred miles from my home. I haven’t been feeling the strongest because of flu recovery, but as I prayed and simply talked to Him about it, I heard Him say, “love shows up”. It made things simple. I love them. As I go in faith, I know He will be my strength. He will supply every need and we all will be blessed!
We won’t hear unless we come. We won’t receive wisdom, grace, or strength unless we come. It takes humility. It takes awareness of our need. We don’t have to wait till we are weary and heavy burden to come! We can come when we are strong. But what we must do is come in faith. What are your expectations when you come to Him? Do you believe and trust He really wants you to first come and then respond? I am not saying that every time you interact with the Word or in prayer that a spine tingling experience happens, but if we don’t believe, we won’t receive. Many times, for me, it is the sense of His Presence that brings any shift I need.
If you are struggling to believe this verse, take time to focus on Jesus, not yourself. When we question “am if I am good enough?”; “does He have time for me?” “am I special enough for Him to talk with me? ” We automatically interfere with our hearing. Remind yourself of Hebrews 4: 15-16, This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testing we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. I don’t think the devil will ever remind us of this verse!
When you hear His voice, it’s important to not only listen, but to obey. When we do follow His voice then we will hear Him more often and our life with Him will open up more and more.
Father, thank you for your invitation to “come”. Thank you, that when we do come, you are there to teach us, help us and love us. I ask that you help us overcome every resistance to coming: our pride, our busyness, our apathy. Our precious Savior is waiting for us, and that is so humbling. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Faith Encounters 