Help is Near
We weren’t created to go through life carrying heavy burdens that weigh us down.
Thankfully, we don’t have to.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
When Jesus came to earth, He took our burdens onto Himself. Even though we were far from God, Jesus carried the punishment for our wrongdoing and bore our suffering. And because of that, we have a Savior who understands and has compassion on us.
This Savior meets us in our mess, and invites us to find rest in Him. This Savior is God with us.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalms 68:19 NIV
King David wrote that Psalm hundreds of years before Jesus’ arrival. But even then, God was illustrating to people that His character was constant, and He was trustworthy.
God watched over Noah when the earth was flooded (Genesis 8:1), and He made a covenant with Abraham to bless, protect, and multiply his descendants (Genesis 17:4-7). He took care of the Israelites when they wandered through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 2:7), and He comforted David when people were trying to kill him.
God has never stopped being true to who He is. He is our ever-present help in time of need. He is our constant source of strength. He is our comforter and our provider. The God that David praises in Psalm 68 is our God. He is the One who continually takes care of us, stooping down to meet us in our mess and carry us out of brokenness.
He daily bears our burdens.
Will we still endure hard times? Yes. But we will never have to go through them alone. The Savior of the world is near. God is with us.
The Greater Light
From the gentle morning sun rays that break through your window to the headlights that guide you on your way home at night, light is a constant presence.
Yet, there is a greater Light than any physical light we know…
In Isaiah 60:1, the prophet speaks of this greater Light. And his words are more than pretty poetry and a prophecy; they are a call to action, an encouragement for God's people to find hope—Light, in the midst of darkness (Isaiah 59:9-10):
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."
Isaiah 60:1
This Light is a beacon of hope, the picture of salvation and spiritual awakening. This Light is the true Light, the Messiah—Jesus Christ. He is the light God’s people needed then (Isaiah 59:9-10), and He is the light our hearts desperately need today.
In a world that sometimes can feel like it’s drowning in darkness—disasters, wars, injustice, and suffering—Isaiah's message is an invitation to embrace God’s true Light of ...