to the weary.

To the weary.

To the broken hearted. To the ones that are going through trials that never seem to end. To the ones that are losing hope. To the ones that can’t see the light. To the ones that just don’t know what to do anymore.

I have goods news for you. Jesus knows EXACTLY what you’re going through. AND, He wants to carry your hurts and burdens for you. He wants to be there for you. That’s what He says in Matthew 11:28–“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

So why am I directing this to the weary ones right now you might ask?

Well first, no one is exempt from weariness. We all experience it at some point in our lives. Second, the past couple of weeks I have felt the weight of weariness on my shoulders. But while dealing with the weariness, the Lord has used this time to teach me.

Isn’t He good about doing that?—using the times of trial to bring you closer to Him and to teach you while you’re at it.

So what has He been teaching me?

#1. I’m in desperate need of a Savior. We are ALL in desperate need of a Savior. I’ve realized that I can’t do this alone. We aren’t meant to. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us to come to Him. He says “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.” So, why wouldn’t we? If the One who willingly died on the cross for you and for me is telling us to come to Him. Let’s do. Let’s take our hopelessness, our lack of faith, our failures, our trials, our broken hearts to Him as He gives us rest. Let’s trust and lean on our Savior.

#2. Jesus is my hope and light. In the midst of what seems to be darkness, we have a Hope who is rooting for us. His name is Jesus. He’s the light in our darkness. When it seems that we can’t go on—that it’s just too much to handle, there is one thing that is constant through it all—Jesus. Hebrews 6:19 says “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Let Jesus (our HOPE) be our anchor. Let Him hold us down and keep us secure during our seasons of weariness.

#3. Keep praying. It’s easy to get lost in the weariness. It’s easy to not put in the energy to pray and give it to the Lord (at least it is for me). And it’s easy to let Satan trample on top of you. There’s a song by 7eventh Time down, and some of the lyrics are “If you don’t know what to say, just say Jesus. There is power in the name.” The Lord has shown me, if I don’t have the strength or the words to say, just say His name—Jesus. There is tremendous power in His name! We will never be able to wrap our minds around the amount of power that lies in the name of Jesus. Our Father, has invited us into an intimate relationship with Him. He knows our hurts and pains. He knows exactly what we’re going through. So, lets get down on our hands and knees and pray to our Father. Let’s lay our weariness at the feet of the Creator of the universe—the One who has invited us into a relationship with Him! As hard as it may be, and the strength may be gone—let’s keep praying!

#4. I need to praise Him when it’s hard. If you’re like me, it’s simple to praise God when things are all fine and dandy in your life—when things are going the way you want! But it becomes a different story when you’re going through trials. It then becomes harder to praise Him. However, He’s shown me that I need to praise Him in the storm too. Though I’m going through a rougher patch, God is still good. He is still in control. He is still constant. His love is still never-ending. He is still my Father! He still knows what is best, and He is still my Hope. So, when you’re down, continue to praise Him! Allow Him to speak to your heart and to heal your heart as you praise Him.

#5. God is drawing me closer to Him. My plans have to be surrendered to Him. Things are out of my control. He is in charge. He has a plan for all the trials. So, I don’t have a choice but to lift my hands and let Him take control. It’s hard. It’s an everyday battle that I have to fight. I have to take it to the cross every single day. But as I lift my hands in surrender, He is pulling me closer to Him. I have to lean on Him. I have to trust in the King of Kings. There is no other way. I have to seek His face. And as I am seeking His face, I am falling more in love with my Father each and every day.

I don’t know what you’re going through, but my God does. He knows every doubt you have, every fear you have, and every tear that you cry. Cling to the Savior of the world in the seasons of weariness. Allow Him to be your hope and light. Keep praying even if all you can say is Jesus. Praise Him for being good, even if you’re feeling in the dumps. And, allow Him to draw you nearer to His side as He fights for you!