OUR BURDENS ARE LIGHT WHEN YOKED WITH CHRIST
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“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” – Psalm 68:19
When life’s burdens weigh heavily upon us, Jesus is our Burden Bearer. How amazing that the Almighty One who wields all authority over heaven and earth… who is the very manifestation of God’s love… is the One who stoops to carry all that encumbers us. It is this Almighty Christ, this lover of our souls, to whom we release our burdens.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
When we first meet our heavenly Savior, He finds us staggering under the weight of our sins. Perhaps we have so long lived with this oppressive burden that we have come to believe it to be an unavoidable part of life.
Jesus calls us to come to Him. Our Redeemer forgives us of our past and our failures. He lifts off our burden of iniquity. Our guilt and sorrow over sin is washed away. We are set free. As we walk in the bounty of His righteousness, grace and peace, we experience His blessed rest.
Yet the burdens of living as a follower of Jesus in a lost world soon overwhelm us. Living counter to societal ways and beliefs meets upon mountains of resistance. The pressure to conform is monumental. We are bombarded daily with reasons to deny Christ and live a worldly lifestyle.
The sorrows and griefs of living in a fallen world pile up. Anxiety and stress inundate us. We become weary, bowed low under the troubles and trials of daily living. Doubts creep in as our faith slowly erodes. How are we to bear up under this heavy load?
“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
The One who created us and sustains us binds us to Himself. Whatever touches us touches Him. Whatever grieves us grieves Him. To this One whose love for us is boundless, we entrust our lives. As we humble ourselves before this mighty God, He extends the offer to carry our burdens.
The anxieties of life, the sadness of regrets, the dread of evil… irreparable mistakes irretrievable times, unchangeable memories… it is these that we cast upon our Lord. He lifts us above the shadows of low spirits, self-pity, suffering and gloom.
Jesus, our Burden Bearer, takes the burdens that oppress us, that cause us to turn inward, focusing on ourselves. The burdens that encumber us, diluting our witness for Him. The burdens that keep us from showering our world with His love.
“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.” – Matthew 11:29
Jesus asks us to take up His yoke and learn from Him. Our Lord chose a word picture well-known to an agrarian society. Yokes were placed on a team of two oxen to share the weight and work. Together they could accomplish far more than alone.
Often, a stronger, more mature ox was paired with a younger one for training and strengthening. The One whose yoke we share is all-wise, gently teaching us His ways. He is all-powerful, bestowing on us the power to do life. We learn to trustingly follow Him.
By faith, we submit to Christ’s yoke of authority. We yield to His will for our lives. As we lean on Jesus, as we share the weight, our loads become bearable. We do life in partnership with Him, tied closely together by the bonds of love. We discover rest for our souls.
“The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.” – Psalm 145:14
Jesus is our light and our joy. If we are bent over with burdens, if we are walking in the dark, if we have lost our joy… then we are not working with Him as a team. Shouldering the weight of our world can become more than we can bear.
We were not created to carry our burdens alone… to reel under the heaviness of trials and sorrows. Yoked with Christ, we can lift up our heads and face our difficulties alongside Him. We team up with our Lord to carry on in this world triumphantly.
“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:30
Jesus promises a light burden when tethered with Him. Our Lord will carry the brunt of the load when we are too bowed down and nearly crushed. As we are able, when our faith is stronger, He will allow us to carry more of the weight, to take on more responsibility for kingdom work. For then our faith will grow stronger still.
Jesus is our Burden Bearer. Our lives belong to Him. We work as a team as His supernatural power yokes with our natural power to do the work He calls us to do. He guides His plow through the world’s fields, breaking up the soil of hardened hearts. We take on the work of spreading His message of kingdom hope… and we share in the blessings of His eternal harvest.
