Christian Living

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Isaiah 9
To Us a Child Is Born
1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Seldom do I find it necessary to filter through my own works. The only time I’ve opened many of my own articles are for the purpose of sharing with someone that I think might benefit from something I’ve written in the past. Just for example, I might share ‘For Those Cloudy Days’ with someone who is having difficulty being encouraged through a hard time. But today is an exception.

Today, I will pick up a printed copy of ‘Extended Grace’ for the purpose of rereading ‘Beyond Damascus’ myself. It is the prophetic opening to the short book I wrote the last time I visited Mt. Fork River. I’m in need of a reminder today to lay my burdens down. I know in my heart it will be easier for me than my flesh can see at the moment. See, I look back to the time in which that piece was written and have no doubt whatsoever in my soul that things change when they are laid upon The Rock.

I left my keys there, on the boulder at Mt. Fork River, keys to my old car. Within days, the Lord provided me with a replacement vehicle, a pickup. It turned out to be very convenient as well because I also laid my home (spiritually) upon The Rock. I’d need that pickup to haul all of my things to the new house the Lord also provided for me. I laid my son there who did not live with me. He’s a couple of rooms away from me at the moment, in his room, sleeping. I laid my daughter and her abusive husband there. She was divorced shortly thereafter. She was remarried this past Saturday to a man I am proud to call “Son.” The ceremony was beautiful and they are quite blessed.

Everything changes on The Rock. Everything. But the greatest changes are not physical. The key to change taking place on The Rock is in not knowing how God is going to change the situation, only that He can and that His will is perfect. Sometimes the physical things don’t change, but our view of those things changes so dramatically that we find nothing needs to change at all. The Lord said in Matthew 11:28-30 "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." The things that cause those burdens in the first place may not change, but if we lay them on The Rock, then we no longer suffer with the weight of them on our shoulders.

I’ve found myself lately with my shoulders weighed down, bent under the pressures of things I can’t change, things I don’t have the strength to carry, things I’ve almost lost hope for. Why do we wait until we get into this condition, bent nearly to the point of breaking, to truly, truly lay these things down? Though I haven’t stopped praying, seeking the Lord’s will, following Christ with all my heart, I still, somehow, managed to carry around these burdens. And I’ve begun to wonder if there will ever come a time in my life when I get it down ... when I can lay me down on The Rock and never pick me up again.

I’m a heavy load to carry, though I don’t physically weigh a whole lot. And the truth of the matter is, I’d like someone else to walk with me someday. Though the Word of God says in Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ,” the last thing I want to share with someone is a lot of unnecessary weight. And that’s just what it is -- unnecessary. There is nothing too heavy for the Lord however. There is nothing He isn’t willing to carry. But why would He carry things we’re not willing to give to Him?

So here I am, crawling up onto The Rock to lay me down and all the weight on my shoulders with me. I think I’ll take my hard copy of ‘Beyond Damascus’ with me, as well as the Word of God and a little praise music. Who knows what will take place? I can’t drive to Mt. Fork River and climb up on those boulders today. But I can certainly go to my room, which happens to have a door that closes, and sit on the edge of my bed in my house that God graciously gave me the keys to after my last trip to the river. And there, I can climb up on The Rock of my Salvation.

It’s the most serene place I know to be. In fact, I don’t want to go through the process of laying me down there and then immediately go about my business. No, I think I’ll stay there a little while. You see, it’s on the same Rock in which we can lay our burdens that we also receive from the Lord. There are a few things I want to leave there, but there are also a few things I’d like to take.

Blessed be The Rock.
© Joyce Pool

Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Selah
Psalm 81
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of Asaph.
5 He established it as a statute for Joseph
when he went out against Egypt,
where we heard a language we did not understand.
6 He says, "I removed the burden from their shoulders;
their hands were set free from the basket.
7 In your distress you called and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Selah
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD Almighty has sworn,
"Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand.
25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders."
26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

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