Read: Matthew 11:25-30
A blessed evening to us my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
Before we start, I just want to acknowledge that the God that we serve is a living God and that we have been encountering His grace ever since. I would like to share how God recently answered my prayer.
After I had finished my devotion on the morning of 7th September, as I was praying, I remembered one (1) commentary that I read before, saying “In order for us to grow in our faith, we must step out of our comfort zone."
So, I said, "Yes, Lord. The things I do for you are always in favor of me. And I know that this life is not mine anymore. It's unusual for me to go our of my comfort zone. I know it’s hard but I’ll be holding on to Your words and promises. And I know that You will never leave me or forsake me."
As I finished my prayer, maybe just a few hours after that, a servant of the Lord messaged me asking if I can lead the SMF devotion.
I said, "Wow, Lord, You are like no other. I was just praying this earlier and You have already given me an answer."
So I said yes, because this is for the Lord. That's why I am here in front of you right now. For those who don't know me, I can't really talk in front of many people. I have stage fright and I may have problems in articulating and delivering my speeches.
So I am praying to God that He will let the Holy Spirit take over my heart, my mind and my tongue so that He can deliver His message to everybody who needs to hear it.
So for this night, this is the message that the Lord has given me to share. It is found in Matthew 11:25-30.
"At that time Jesus declared, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all 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.'” (Matthew 11;25-30)
Before we start I will give a little back story as to what are the events happened before reaching this chapter.
So John the Baptist was sent to prison by Herod thinking that he is the messiah. And now John’s disciples are having doubts because even if Jesus came, the corrupt is still in power and John is still in prison suffering under Herod’s hand. So that’s why they ask Jesus in verse 1 “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
Jesus then tells John’s disciples to tell John what they have heard and seen – the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead raised, and the good news, proclaimed to the poor (v5).
After John’s disciples leave, Jesus speaks to the crowd about john the Baptist with words of high praise. (Matthew 11:11)
Skipping over to the following verses, we will now proceed to the last part, this devotion is entitled "Rest for the weary".
In verse 25, Jesus began by praying and thanking God that he had revealed this message not to the intelligent but to the little children. Now, Jesus is referring to the scribes and the Pharisees and to those who are so called religious leaders that rejects Jesus and His message of salvation. They are rejecting Jesus because Jesus often rebukes them for their self-importance and hypocrisy.
The “little children” on the other hand, are those who are lacking in faith. They are poor in spirit who come to Jesus for the healing of their body and spirit.
It is God’s gracious will to act in ways that confound human wisdom (Matthew 11:26)
And so these “little children” can see what the “wise” cannot see that Jesus is sent by the father and reveals the father ( Matthew 11:27)
Jesus’ prayer then turns to invitation - an invitation to the tired, weak and the heavily burdened to come to Jesus and He will give them rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Now, who are these tired, weak and the heavy-burdened people that Jesus is inviting to come to Him?
Jesus not only talks about those people who are physically tired but also those who are spiritually tired. All of us feels exhausted, tired and weary at some point because we are merely humans that is why Jesus led His prayer to the father into an invitation. It is an invitation to us saying that we must come to Him, trust His timing, surrender ourselves to Him and to yield our will to Him.
And in verses 29-30, Jesus extends His invitation to us stating that,
”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.” (Matthew 11:29-30)
Yoke is defined according to Merriam-Webster dictionary as a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (such as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together. Essentially, a yoke was a harness used by oxen and other animals to ease the work of hauling a load. It was also meant as a designation of servitude and carrying the burden of a task or mission.
The word "yoke" was a term that was used to describe submission. So when someone was described as being yoked to someone or something, it was communicating the idea that he or she was in submission to that person or thing. So to be yoked to Jesus is to serve and obey Him.
Some are yoked to the power of sin. Some are yoked with the love of money, fame and any worldly things or personal desires. Let us ask ourselves this question, to whom or what do you want to be yoked?
In conclusion, we serve the God that is the source of life and strength. And we should always come to Him not only when we are tired. We should always submit to His will because all things work together for good to those who love Him.
Connect With Us