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. – Matthew 11:28-29

 

One of the things I look forward to in heaven is that fact that there will be no more sin.  We will completely and finally saved from the presence of sin.  I am so tired of sin.

I have a dear sister in Christ whose family have been going through some severe trials with two of their sons, It is one thing to have a son with mental health issues and quite another to have two sons with mental health issues.  To say their lives have been extremely stressful would be the understatement of the year.

While I cannot claim to understand all that she is going through, I can however be an instrument in the Redeemer’s hands to help her see that God has not forsaken her,  by praying for her, being a comfort to her and reminding her of the goodness of God in her life and circumstances even when it does not look that way. To this end, we scheduled and meet monthly over lunch to catch up, go through scripture  and pray.

 

Unrest is one great characteristic of the world. Hurry, vexation, failure, disappointment, stare us in the face on every side. But here is hope.  There is an ark of refuge for the weary, as truly as there was for Noah’s dove. There is rest in Christ, rest of conscience, and rest of heart, rest built on pardon of all sin, rest flowing from peace with God. – JC Ryle

 

I got a phone call from her on the day before our monthly lunch meeting letting me know she will not be able to make it as one of the sons had had an episode and had been admitted to the hospital. So, we prayed over the phone and I encouraged her with the word. The next day, I got another phone call from her letting me know that the second son has been missing for two days. He was on his way home at about 10pm two days before and never made it. While she was on the phone with me (6am), she was driving from street to street and from train track to train track looking for him. She and her husband were taking turns driving around looking for him, while the police was going around interviewing his friends.

My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach and all I could was cry out to the Lord in prayer. I could not imagine the horror they were going through not knowing. My husband and I began to pray for them.

 

“Go not,” He seems to say, “to man for relief. Wait not for help to arise from any other quarter. Just as you are, this very day, come to me.”   Mark what an encouraging account Jesus gives of Himself. He says, “I am gentle and lowly of heart.”  – JC Ryle

 

I am currently through the M’Cheyne Reading Plan for the year and part of today’s reading was Matthew 11.  Verse 28-29 of Matthew 11 are familiar verses and were very much needed today in light of what had transpired in the last two days.  Matthew 11:28-29 reads: 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.

What a comfort!  JC Ryle’s commentary on these verses were also such a blessing:

Unrest is one great characteristic of the world. Hurry, vexation, failure, disappointment, stare us in the face on every side. But here is hope. There is an ark of refuge for the weary, as truly as there was for Noah’s dove. There is rest in Christ, rest of conscience, and rest of heart, rest built on pardon of all sin, rest flowing from peace with God. 

Mark what a simple request Jesus makes to the laboring and heavy-laden ones:

“Come to me — Take my yoke upon you, learn from me.” He interposes no hard conditions. He speaks nothing of works to be done first, and deservingness of His gifts to be established. He only asks us to come to Him just as we are, with all our sins, and to submit ourselves like little children to His teaching. 

“Go not,” He seems to say, “to man for relief. Wait not for help to arise from any other quarter. Just as you are, this very day, come to me.”   Mark what an encouraging account Jesus gives of Himself. He says, “I am gentle and lowly of heart.”  

Mark, lastly, the encouraging account that Jesus gives of His service. He says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

 No doubt there is a cross to be carried, if we follow Christ. No doubt there are trials to be endured, and battles to be fought. But the comforts of the Gospel far outweigh the cross. Compared to the service of the world and sin, compared to the yoke of Jewish ceremonies, and the bondage of human superstition, Christ’s service is in the highest sense easy and light.

 His yoke is no more a burden than the feathers are to a bird. His commandments are not grievous. His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all his paths are peace. (1 John 5:3. Prov. 3:17.)

 God is so good and knows how to send comfort to His children!  This morning before I wrote this bog article, I got a phone call from my friend letting me know that her missing son had contacted them by text and phone call.  While they had not yet seen him, it was a relief to know that he is still alive.  Please continue to pray for this dear sweet family.

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria!