Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Just hold on, he's coming

This morning, after a very active yesterday cleaning and preparing for an important fund-raising event, I feel like what I imagine road-kill to feel like.

Bones aching? Check.
Muscles screaming? Check
Back, uh, backing? Check

All fully functional, if I can look past the pain a bit.

These burdens, and a late night on top of it all, have me about as sleepy as I get. But that led me to thinking about this whole burden thing.

Let's go old school, er, Old Testament. Moses said to the Lord, "I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me."

This refers to the fact that we can't make it on our own. Period. Anyone who thinks so is delusional.

On the back of my son Jason's latest CD (available on I-tunes by the way), he writes, "This album is for everyone who may feel lost. This album is a testimony to the power of change and the impact faith can have on your life. You can change, you can make your life better. You can find light in the darkest of nights. The person I was 5 years ago is not who I am today."

I understand what he's saying. I just disagree briefly and slightly. I do not believe we can change, we can make our lives better.

I can't remake myself. I can go on a diet. I can change hair length (slowly, I know) or hair color. I can make New Year's proclamations and even do some of them for a couple days. But I can never make my life better on my own. At least that's what I believe scripture says.

After Moses cries out to God that he's faltering, God hears and God answers, "I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. THEY will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone."

In the same chapter of Numbers (and you thought it was just math), Moses goes on to tell the people what God has said. He brought together 70 men from the people's elders and put them around a tent. God descended in a cloud, like always, and put a bit of the Spirit on them. They began to prophesy (preach). A couple of men named Eldad and Medad were doing it the most. Joshua, Moses No. 2, comes running to Moses to get them to stop because Moses was the one who should be doing this in Joshua's mind. Moses says, "Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the Lord's people were prophets with the Lord placing  his spirit on  them."

To this I raise a large bottle of AMEN for a toast.

Later, Joshua fought the Amalekites. Moses stood on top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. Moses, as anyone who has ever lifted his arms for a period of time, got tired and couldn't keep those arms lifted. Aaron and Hur held his hands, one on either side, so that his hands remained steady. And Joshua defeated the Amalekites.

Get this? Moses couldn't do it all. He needed friends in high places. He needed friends. He needed the Lord. In his weakness, he was made strong as Paul would later write so effectively.

David cried to the Lord, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

And Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

So this morning I ask in all seriousness, what are you carrying? What burden have you had in your pocket for oh so long? Are you willing to give it up? Are you willing to admit you don't really want that burden but you just can't put it down? Are you willing to admit you don't have it all together, that each and every day is a carry-over from the day before, and the pressure is building and your heart and head are screaming you can't go on this way? Are you willing to see that you don't have to carry it a minute longer?

If you answer any of those questions positively, then there is a solution. I promise not that your circumstances will change completely. The bills are the bills. The kids are the kids. The parents are the parents. Some of that won't change immediately, miraculously. That's not the promise.

But there's a go-to guy for you. I truly believe that if someone asks why you look better, like you've had the weight of the world lifted from your shoulders, you need to have an answer for the question. For me, it's Jesus. Just Jesus.

Does that make me weak? You betcha. Gladly I admit I can't fix myself, can't fight my own battles, can't heal my own disease, can't repair the relationships I have damaged, can't fix my own credit situation, can't, can't can't. I can not keep myself from despair at times or keep myself from sinning at others. I can't. I've tried. I failed.

I freely admit that there are times still when I just don't have it together, and I crash like a plane out of the sky.

But broken on my knees  I crawl back to the one who will, by vow, lift the burden from me.

Look beyond the empty cross this morning. Look beyond the blood that ran freely down that old wood. Look beyond what you can't do to what he can -- and will. Give it over. Let it go. Get over  your mad schedule. Give over those way too high car payments. Give over your worries about Social Security. Give over your fretting about Obamacare. Give it up and let it go.

Feel strong in him. Feel burdens gone. Feel a life changed. Feel his soft touch this morning.

Feel free of your burdens. It is possible. Just hold on, he's coming.

1 comment:

kevin H said...

"Helpful" just doesn't say enough. Thanks!