“Come to Me, All You who are Heavy Laden”

Thus says the Lord:

“Stand in the ways and see,

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,

And walk in it;

Then you shall find rest for your souls.”

But they said, “We will not walk in it.”

-Jeremiah 6:16

In Matthew 11 John the Baptist is in prison.  He has been there for quite some time expecting to be released by the Coming One, Jesus.  He had heard in prison of the works of Christ and so he sent two of his disciples with a question.  “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”  Jesus had the credentials of the Messiah and he knew that John would recognize those credentials.

The question for us today is do we recognize His credentials?  Do we believe that He is the Coming One, the Messiah?  Have we trusted our life into His hands?  This chapter ends with the Words of Jesus, “Come to Me, all you who labour 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.”

Jesus invites us as individuals who are burdened with sin to come to Him.  In accepting His invitation we will find rest for our souls.  In Jeremiah 6 the people said that they would not walk in His ways.  They chose a path without rest.  What is our choice today?  Will we accept the rest of redemption or will we resist and go our own way burdened and heavy laden?  The choice is ours to make.

I close this blog with a poem from Horatius Bonar.

Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face

Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;

Here would I touch and handle things unseen,

Here grasp with firmer hand th’ eternal grace,

And all my weariness upon Thee lean.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God,

Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heaven;

Here would I lay aside each earthly load,

Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.

This is the hour of banquet and of song;

This is the heav’nly table spread for me:

Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong

The brief, bright hour of fellowship with Thee.

I have no help but Thine, nor do I need

Another arm save Thine to lean upon:

It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;

My strength is in Thy might, The might alone.

Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness;

Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood;

Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace,

Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God.