Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This is a meditation on a familiar verse. These are comforting words, the idea that we can come to Jesus with our burdens. But I wonder how often you or I actually do that. In our minds, we may think that if we really can’t manage on our own then we’ll take up the offer. We’ll see how much we can carry on our own, we’ll see if we can solve our problems first, before we ask Jesus to help. We’ll wait until we’re struggling, when we really can’t cope any longer.
He says, “learn of me”, which means that we need to learn to do things His way, not our way. Learning probably takes a lifetime because as it says in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” He says that His way is easy because we’ll walk together with him. This is the image of oxen walking together in a yoke as they pull the plough. They must be evenly matched so that they are in step as they pull the plough and plough a straight furrow.
Jesus’ offer to carry our burdens with us is not just a kind offer we could choose to take up when we’re carrying a big burden and it gets really heavy. He says we shouldn’t try to do things alone at all. We should take up His offer every day – with every kind of burden. His invitation is for every day – but He waits to be asked, He wants to carry our burdens, to walk alongside us and to teach us His ways.
Prayer: Lord, please come alongside me with the burdens I carry today and show me how to walk in step with you. Amen