Daily Devotional for December 28, 2015

Matthew 11:28    
If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
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I got a phone message today at 1:47 a.m. - alerting me with another flood warning for our area.  I had forgotten to mute my phone’s volume before I went to bed.  So after getting this “alert,” I had a little trouble going back to sleep for a bit.  I wasn’t worried about a flood in our neighborhood, since we live on a bluff!  But I started thinking about all of the people who needed a special touch from God…and I probably spent a good half hour or more praying and asking God to take their burdens. And then I was able to sleep soundly for several more hours.

This is a favorite scripture passage…and as I read it today, I thought of how I handed my burdens to God in prayer this morning - and trusted Him to manage them.  A few close friends and I have exchanged more than one message lately where we noted that the prayer lists and “burdens” seem especially lengthy in recent days. I can tell you firsthand that it has been so comforting to be able to say to God, “Only YOU can fix these things…and I’m going to let You!”

There have been nights when I should have tossed and turned with frustration and worry – and plenty of times in the past that I did exactly that!  But of late, I’ve found that I’m sleeping very well, and I know it is because I am letting God carry the heavy stuff!

When Jesus gave us these words of assurance, He did so with complete authority.  There is no reason for us to doubt Him…or to try to handle things on our own. I don’t know about you, but I discovered that trying to carry heavy burdens was exhausting – and fruitless.  This way seems to be working so much better, and I plan on sticking with it.  What about you?


©2015 Debbie Robus

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