Have you ever felt the demands of life were too much to handle? I know I have. Spending 23 of my 27 years of life in school, I have often felt burdened with the rigors of studies. I've often felt like the old cartoon drawing of a little boy with a small library of books strapped to his back, bent over from the enormous weight. Sometimes that's the way life feels, doesn't it? While it may not be schoolwork, our job, or being a parent that drags us down, it is often the heavy weight of responsibility. It is also the weight of sin.
As sinners, every day our wrongdoings pile up, and we feel their burden. Yet, it is when we feel so overburdened with the weight of our sin that God reminds us we do not have to carry them any longer. In Psalm 37:5 King David writes, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act." The word often translated as "commit" comes from the idea of rolling a large stone off of or away from something. God wants to remove the crushing boulder of our sin. It is Jesus who has taken our sins and their consequences upon Himself. It is He who has carried our sins on His back to Golgotha and to the grave.
When we strain under the sin in our lives, we can turn our burdens over to God. We can trust Him to act on our behalf, not only on Good Friday but also on Easter Sunday when our greatest burden was rolled away. As you feel the weight of life and sin piling upon you today, may you commit it all to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away your sins.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we come before You today burdened with the weight of our sin and the demands of this life. Please send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts so we might put our faith once again in Christ who has taken away the weight of our sin and its consequences. Fill us this day with the joy that comes from knowing our sins are lifted by Your Son who was Himself lifted upon the cross for us. In His Name we pray. Amen.
Written by Pastor Andrew Menz
Salem Lutheran Church - Coloma, Michigan
|
