“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
Turn To Him in Distress
Tears stream down our faces. We are sad about empty stadiums and arenas and only being able to watch last year’s sporting events, but something more serious is happening. Lives are lost. Sighing and sorrow is heard from Florida to Oregon and from Maine to California and worldwide. Shopping centers look like ghost towns. Though the sky is blue and spring is in the air, many are shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Trouble is everywhere and we don’t know what to do. The virus is invisible to our eyes, but we know it’s real as we hear about terrible sickness and some people losing loved ones.
We feel like we are living the words of a sad song like “She’s Gone” or “He walked out the Door,” and we are rattled and restless. We need a laugh and a lift. It helps to share funny stories with each other and to release some of the tension. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine …”
Also, Jesus wants us to turn to Him in our distress. Our shoulders weaken under the strain of our heavy load of layoffs, closed stores, empty bank accounts and uncertainty about how long the virus will last. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Jesus identifies with us in our pain. Christ lost His comfort and convenience when He chose to go to the cross on our behalf. Jesus chose to sacrifice for our sins in order to provide forgiveness. As we are squeezed and crushed by our troubles, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3).
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Ga.
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