‘My grace is sufficient for you’ – Jesus, to his friend Paul, in 2 Corinthians 2:9
I am exhausted.
It’s been a long haul these past few years. So many losses. So many struggles. So much going wrong with the world. I could create a list, but, for one thing, you probably have one of your own, and for another, well, I want to keep this blog post relatively short.
I will say that this week I have been thinking of the poem, The Second Coming, by W.B. Yeats, particularly the following lines:
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and
Everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
It seems to describe the world we live in quite well. Whenever I think of all that is happening (or about to happen), I am nearly overwhelmed by anxiety. The exhaustion of trying to navigate through the times we live in caught up with me a long time ago, and honestly, some days I don’t know how I’m going to make it to the next.
Which is why I was so struck recently by these soothing words of Jesus, words I too often forget amidst the cacophony of our times.
‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
(Matthew 11:28-30 NLT).
Ah yes, the sufficiency of Jesus. The promise that he is the one who will take my burdens and cares, vouchsafe me in his grace, and be my shelter amidst the storm.
To give credit where it is due, I should note that I was reminded of these words while reading John Eldredge’s wonderful new book, Resilience: Restoring Your Weary Soul in Turbulent Times (I heartily recommend it). Eldredge reminds us that while the world tempts us to live in its tumultuous, convoluted, anxiety provoking story, Jesus calls us to live in the story of his Kingdom, a story of love, grace, redemption, and hope. A story that offers peace and rest in the midst of the storm. A story that gives us strength to carry on.
This is the story we must live in. The story of Jesus.
Of course, living in Jesus’ story does not mean that we are to withdraw from a troubled world. How tempting it is to escape, to, say, move to the mountains and forget about everything (I confess sometimes that sounds simply wonderful). Jesus, however, commanded his disciples to go into the world – to be agents of his grace, makers of his peace, speakers of his truth, proponents of his justice. To storm the very gates of hell. He commanded us to make a difference by making disciples, finding others who are willing to live in his story alongside us, and thereby point a world gone mad back to God.
Which, you might think, would mitigate against the peace he promises. After all, the world doesn’t take kindly to those who, even silently, point out its madness. But no. For Jesus, in giving this commission, promised to ‘be with us always, even to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:30). In other words, as we go about the business of walking through a troubled world, his promise to lighten our load endures. He carries our burdens. He gives peace in the midst of the storm. He gives rest in the midst of the tumult. He gives hope to carry on. His presence, his grace, is sufficient for us in this age. And when this age is over, he will still be with us, wiping the tears from our eyes and the sweat from our brow, as he invites us into a universe where all things are made new (see, Revelation 21:1-5).
Dear exhausted souls, today I pray that you, in the midst of whatever you are going through, discover the sufficiency of Jesus. That you who are weary and heavy laden come to him and find rest. I pray with the apostle Paul that:
‘…from God’s glorious, inexhaustible resources you will be empowered with the inner strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. That Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. That your roots will grow down deep into God’s love and make you strong. And that you would have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. I pray that you would experience the love of Christ and be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God’(see, Ephesians 3:16-19).
Friends, we need to live in Jesus’ story. We need Jesus to do this for us.
He is enough.
He will do it.
He is all we need.
Under Christ’s Mercy,
Brent