All over the world various wars are going on between nations and peoples and many lose their lives though they may not be part of the battle or it may not be of their choosing. Even where no war is on, the efforts are to bring the other person down to move up. Above all this everyone is involved with the battle of the circumstances in his life and the problems thereof. How does one find peace in such an all-around atmosphere?
What should be new in the new year? David was anointed as king as a teenager by Prophet Saul, killed Goliath, the giant at that young age, in a battle that he was not of age to join. However, the song of praise for him after this victory, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’, angered Saul, the king (1 Samuel 18:7-8). Eventually David had to flee to save himself, for Saul in his envy tried repeatedly to kill him. In all this David could praise God and declare, ‘I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me’ (Psalm 3:5–6). Most people suffer from sleeplessness because of the stress of troubling circumstances in their lives. These could be threats to life, prestige, job security or affliction from demonic forces. He could further say, ‘I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around’.
How could David declare this with absolute confidence and find rest despite such a threat to his very life? As king he was victorious over his enemies and he sang to the LORD a song of praise. He declared, ‘The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Saviour; You save me from violence’ (2 Samuel 22:2-7). The nine ways that God came to his rescue from his enemies, reveal the way he meditated on the way that God must save him. In describing the circumstances that he faced, he said, ‘when the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me’. In such situations, he called on the LORD and was rescued.
While facing extreme dangers and uncertainty all around, David could place all that before the Lord and sleep in total dependence on Him. David’s son Absalom rebelled against him and many of his trusted people also joined him, forcing David to flee from Jerusalem. Zadok, the Priest with all the Levites, bearing the Ark of the covenant, joined David and those leaving with him (2 Samuel 15:24-26). He was told to carry the Ark back into the city by David with the words, ‘If I find favour in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place. But if He says thus: ‘I have no delight in you,’ here I am let Him do to me as seems good to Him’. In the most difficult situations, David could place himself completely at the mercy of the Lord. It is not that he adopted a defeatist attitude and gave up, but did all that was in his power to turn everything to his favour.
Many times, in the past year, we may have faced situations where due to difficult financial situations all over, there was a threat to our jobs or life itself due to a sickness or any other thing. In the new year that we are in, let us resolve to place our complete trust in God alone and move forward in His protection and provision. To help each other, Apostle Paul taught, ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ’ (Galatians 6:2). The Greek word for burdens is about ‘heavy loads’ of worries of the world that everyone carries. We help others by sharing their burdens even when ours are heavy and we are being helped by our Lord. This help of others must involve all aspects of life.
A famous politician of America was to join the U S President for breakfast but a friend’s daughter died at night and he reached his house in the morning. The grieving family informed him that all arrangements for her burial were being made, but he told them that he could help in making and serving coffee to everyone. On being enquired about his meeting the President, in humility he told them he felt this was more important and had informed the President accordingly. This is sharing the burdens with one another.
Benefit and way of putting on Lord Jesus’ yoke – Lord Jesus’ call to all, ‘Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’, is an offer to share your burdens with Him (Matthew 11:28). In this New Year surrender your heavy loads of worries to Him and take His small backpack of love, grace and mercy on yourself. He will never tire and carry us through this life in comfort and joy. The call from the Lord is to all who are heavy laden to surrender their loads to Him and put on His yoke (Matthew 11:27-29). The promise of ‘rest to your souls’ is from the One, who is ‘gentle and lowly in heart’. A yoke is used to join two oxen together to plough the land or carry some loads. The farmer has to ensure that two equally matched oxen were thus joined to have them work as a team together. Also, an older ox was joined to a younger one to train it in the task.
Our Saviour makes this offer only after revealing His ability for fulfilling what He promises. He revealed, ‘All things have been delivered to me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal to him’. The first is absolute knowledge of God the Father and being known by Him. To know the Father or the Son is to understand His ways and be ready to follow the same and be equipped by Him to do so. The next is complete authority and control over everything and in this confirming His inherent power to bring a change in the life of the one who turns to Him. The offer is not important for the fact that I am called to be yoked to the Son of God but in this that God has offered to yoke Himself to me. God allows me to pass on my loads onto Him, all the worries, responsibilities and my inadequacies in meeting them, my sinful nature and desire to live my own way rather than being governed by a controller.
Every human being is yoked to something or someone in his life; wealth, job, relationships, sinful desires and passions, anger, pride and much more. Lord Jesus is ‘gentle and lowly in heart’ as compared to the devil who flogs his followers to hard labour. The Saviour lifts up while the devil brings down under the weight of the rewards of shame and guilt. Also, the Mighty Lord takes our loads, the loads of the weaker ones. As His partners, we learn His ways and walk in the safety of His presence. It is not that we have a leisurely walk with Him but He transfers His burden which ‘is light’. It is like transferring a ton of weight in exchange for a small backpack.
His weight, that we carry, is the joy of reaching out to others with His message of ‘peace and salvation through forgiveness of sins’. Then, like Him we become burden-bearers for others, providing help to them. The great advantage of this is to know Him and through and with Him be joined to the Father, while sharing in His glory. Apostle Paul has cautioned all believers to be careful to ‘stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage’ (Galatians 5:1). Adam and Eve were provided everything in the Garden of Eden with God as an ever-present guide to teach and help them in everything. The only condition was not to try and gain worldly knowledge but live by the heavenly wisdom as received from God directly. The yoke was easy with power to dominate and subdue everything that they would face.
The temptation was simple, you eat the forbidden fruit and open your eyes ‘and you will be like God’ (Genesis 3:5). They were already like god to all other created beings and things with authority over them. Their refusal to submit to God’s control/yoke made them lose all that they had. Did they become like God? No, but the devil became their god to lead them away from all that they had and into hard labour. The year past may have been difficult with a long time of lack and suffering but the future may just be about to open new doors for you.
David waited almost twenty years to be king after having been anointed by Prophet Samuel. He is known as the ‘Man after God’s heart’ and was a great warrior. Yet, in a state of low morale, even ‘David said in his heart, ‘now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines’ (1 Samuel 27:1). When the pain of disease, loneliness and lack becomes strong, it overpowers our normal logical thinking. I received a call some years back from a young man at midnight about his plan to commit suicide due to his father’s continuous calling to join his business. It took me almost two hours to show him the right way and he is a successful businessman today.
Lord Jesus’ call to take His yoke on yourself is not about good times only but especially for such situations where no other way is visible. We must take a firm stand in our minds this year to turn to the Lord daily and share with Him all that is going on in our lives. He is in control and He alone is able and willing to help us out of any situation.
Our actions to get new things – For things to change outside we must change from within. Who is rich, is the most important question? Happy is the one who is content with his portion in life. Our response to circumstances is often more important than the circumstances themselves. In any situation that we face in this world, there are definite steps to deliverance from that. First, Remove the obstacle to freedom – Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Mary and Martha was sick and on receiving the message from his sisters, Lord Jesus told the disciples, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it’ (John 11:4; 39; 43-44). He was well aware of and fully in control of the situation and did tell Martha about resurrection. On arriving at the tomb, where Lazarus lay buried, He commanded, ‘Take away the stone’, for a tomb was sealed by a large circular stone, that moved in a groove, and prevented the entry of predators, beasts and others, curious to just see. Martha was reluctant due to the possible stench of the rotting flesh after three days. In like manner in our situation, we have many such obstructions that we do not want to remove for fear of shame or failure. It could be disbelief, doubting or lack of prayer due to an over busy work schedule. Identify the problem and set it right and for this seek the help of the Holy Spirit or some reliable friend to help.
Second, be attentive to the voice of the indwelling Holy Spirit or a messenger of God – Once the stone had been removed and the way opened for the dead man to receive the blessing, Lord Jesus ‘cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out’. The dead cannot hear anything or any voice, but Lazarus’ soul did and he came out of the tomb. As per Jewish burial practice, the dead body is wrapped in strips of cloth wrapped around the body with embalming materials. The face of the dead is covered by a separate cloth, which may be just placed over the face or bound over it. Lazarus walked out ‘bound hand and foot with grave-cloths, and his face was wrapped with a cloth’.
Third, get freed from the past – The dead man had to be set free and let into his new life. The blessing of the Lord in answer to our prayers may already be there with us and we may still cling to the old as if nothing has changed. Then, the blessing is made of no effect and wasted out.
Fourth, be attentive to receive instructions – Lord Jesus’ call was specific to Lazarus by name and in like manner our blessing is also specific. Prophet Elijah fled after he was threatened by Queen Jezebel and reached Mount Horeb to be in the presence of the LORD God. On the Mountain, first there was a great and strong wind, then an earthquake and finally a fire, ‘but the LORD was in the fire, after the fire a still small voice’ (1 Kings 19:11-13). Prophet Elijah heard that voice and stepped forward to listen to instructions from the LORD. God is not in the crowds and all the noise that we surround ourselves with but in the quiet moment of being alone with Him. Let us all plan to spend time in this manner to hear the voice of God speaking to us.
Fifth, be thankful to the Lord in every situation – Prophet Habakkuk declared, ‘Through the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills’ (Habakkuk 3:17-19). Invariably, many people count the good that they are doing; their tithes and gifts, good deeds, regular and active church-going and still complain about God not answering their prayers. We cannot maintain an account book with God that must be balanced by Him daily.
Most people cling to their past, the good deeds of their ancestors and such achievements of theirs. The life we live has to be lived as our life and not as an imprint to someone else’s. Renewing our thought process in this manner only can bring any change in our lives. Otherwise, we continue to live a year of our life over and over again with hardly any noticeable change. Every day is a new opportunity given by God, to write our story for that day, on a blank paper.
Our relationship with God cannot be on equal terms, yet, Lord Jesus called us His friends. A good friend must think about and be concerned about the interests of the other. Lord Jesus is our High Priest in heaven and continuously intercedes on our behalf with God the Father. Do we consider our responsibility towards Him and are we taking any steps to fulfil that? Our relationship with Him is not only in the joyous morning worship and prayers only but in the tough battles of the day. Let us resolve to step into the place that He desires us to be in!
