Proper 9 / Pentecost 7 / OT 14
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
-- Matthew 11:28
Jesus held out this magnificent promise to us of rest from our burdens. There is probably little that could be better news to our generation, and yet, many Christians do not experience such rest even among Christians. Jesus spoke of God revealing the truth to infants while hiding it from the wise and intelligent. The latter were intent upon mastering and controlling their situation while infants lived in trust. Is part of our burden the result of our insistence that we be in control? How does Jesus offer us rest for our souls? First, Jesus offers us a path to integrity. It was his consistent prayer life and being guided by scripture that enabled him to be in touch with God who guided his life. A significant part of our stress is because of a confusion of our souls in the face of the multiple demands of life. Second, the humbleness in heart of Jesus was his awareness that he did not need to control events but only be faithful in response to them. One can quickly grow weary trying to control the uncontrollable. When you let God be God, then you can learn to trust that the Creator is still creating out of the often-chaotic events of life. There is rest in that trustful Spirit that is similar to the trust of an infant in the arms of a parent. When Jesus said that his yoke was easy and his burden was light, he was declaring that he knew the one true source of the fulfillment of life and his faith in God could shape his response.
-- Matthew 11:28
Jesus held out this magnificent promise to us of rest from our burdens. There is probably little that could be better news to our generation, and yet, many Christians do not experience such rest even among Christians. Jesus spoke of God revealing the truth to infants while hiding it from the wise and intelligent. The latter were intent upon mastering and controlling their situation while infants lived in trust. Is part of our burden the result of our insistence that we be in control? How does Jesus offer us rest for our souls? First, Jesus offers us a path to integrity. It was his consistent prayer life and being guided by scripture that enabled him to be in touch with God who guided his life. A significant part of our stress is because of a confusion of our souls in the face of the multiple demands of life. Second, the humbleness in heart of Jesus was his awareness that he did not need to control events but only be faithful in response to them. One can quickly grow weary trying to control the uncontrollable. When you let God be God, then you can learn to trust that the Creator is still creating out of the often-chaotic events of life. There is rest in that trustful Spirit that is similar to the trust of an infant in the arms of a parent. When Jesus said that his yoke was easy and his burden was light, he was declaring that he knew the one true source of the fulfillment of life and his faith in God could shape his response.
