In Matthew 11:28-30 (AMPC), Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good-not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.”
Jesus invites us all, whether we are born from the Spirit or not, to go to Him with all our cares, burdens, problems and worries, and He will give us rest. We all face trials, tribulations and distress in this life that can cause us to become burdened, weary and stressed. Life can be hard at times, especially in these unprecedented times. Many of us are facing relationship challenges, financial hardships, fear or anxiety, illnesses and many transitions in our lives. However, Jesus reminds us to come to Him instead of turning to the wrong things to find relief for our souls. He calls us to pray and seek His face for help in our time of need.
Elijah was a man of God, a prophet who got overwhelmed with life. He had just won a huge victory on Mount Carmel. He had challenged the prophets of Baal to prove to the Israelites whether Baal or the Lord was the true God. Both the prophets of Baal and Elijah made an altar, and each showed up with a sacrifice. The God who answered by fire would be the true God. The prophets of Baal called on their god all day but nothing happened.
As soon as Elijah called upon the Lord God, fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust and also the water that Elijah had put in a trench. The Israelites fell on their knees and acknowledged that the Lord, Elijah’s God, was the true God. Elijah then had all 450 of the prophets of Baal slaughtered to purge the land. However, he drew the fury of Jezebel, who threatened to exact revenge by having him killed immediately.
Elijah became scared and fearful and ran to save his life. He wanted to go to Horeb to meet with God. He became so anxious and depressed that he left his servant in another city and went into the wilderness to be alone. Elijah was having a wilderness experience. The journey caused him to be so weary that he asked God to take his life. He asked God to let him die. Elijah was weary, anxious and depressed. He was heavy-burdened. His heavenly Father heard his cry and sent an angel to feed him with bread and water and to encourage him. After Elijah had rested and was revived, then he continued his journey to Horeb.
To find out what happened during his journey to Horeb and how you can bring your burdens to God, listen to Wear Scriptures on the Charisma Podcast Network and read the full article here. {eoa}
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