Partnering with Christ

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.

I opined last week that this passage is ultimately about partnership, partnering with the Divine that is. This is the message I believe Jesus wants us to hear in this age.

There are two ways we generally attack our problems or take on tasks. The first is that we try to do it in our own might. Truthfully, most of us pray about the project, but then we go forward in our might asking Father to anoint our path. When we fail, we often turn back to prayer, which is a good thing. Here, though, we have two ways to turn and based on how powerless we feel we choose our next course. We may opt for the second way of problem solving at this point. That is where we pray and “give the problem to God.”

Wouldn’t we all say that giving any problem to God is a good thing? Sure, we would. Here is the thing though. Sometimes we throw the problem on the floor at God’s feet and walk away. We have figuratively thrown our hands in the air in desperation. Sometimes we begin here. Other times we choose this methodology after attempting to succeed in our strength.

There is a third option. It is partnership. I understand it can be very difficult to achieve the proper balance of roles. Who does what? What do we do? Is our entire job prayer? Is there more? What I observe is that many times people begin in their own strength. Even if they do also offer prayers, they really are relying on the work of their hands. Most of us have been trained to be somewhat self-reliant if not entirely so. Even our pastors teach us, rightfully, that we are to lay our hand to something and then God will bless it. So, I want you to hear that you aren’t wrong, just that there is more.

Other people spend more time crying out to God for the help they know they need. The mistake we can so easily make here is that we take our hands off the plow completely. No longer are we giving God the opportunity to bless the work of our hands. We ask him to do the work and bless the work. I hear so often the hopeless prayers of people. They have given up and their only thought is that if they will pray strongly enough, maybe God will intervene. They give it to God and disengage themselves completely.

The whole truth is that God wants to partner with you. There are so many ways He can do so, but the first step is in us recognizing the importance of partnership. Once we enter into partnership, we no longer need to ask God to anoint our path. He will show us His path which is way better anyway. Of course, our prayer changes significantly because in this collaborative space, we can ask Father or Jesus to show us the way rather than begging them to bail us out of an impossible situation.

There is so much more to say on this topic, however, I want you to see this concept from Jesus’ perspective. First, he recognizes that doing things our way and in our own strength has exhausted us physically, mentally and even spiritually. Therefore, the first step he offers is, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.” That’s recovery, healing and restoration. Rest and restore. The second part is, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Wow, I hope that jumped out at you. I don’t think the church has yet to grasp the awesome invitation to working with him that is on offer here. Rest, get yourself restored and then come work with me. Take my yoke. He isn’t taking on your yoke. He is asking you to join him. Be paired with him. What? Do I hear, “Be partnered with me?”

Exactly! That is exactly what Jesus is saying to us. Come join me. He is calling us to join his team and learn his ways. He will be the senior partner who shows us how to move forward with that impossible situation, difficult challenge or even show us how to recover from absolute failure. You see, his yoke is his school of methods. He invites us to work jointly with him so he can show us the ways that will give us the success we desire. Enroll in his school and your demanding situation becomes a class project. Sometimes, it is as simple as changing our prayer.

I remember the story of a woman who was praying every health scripture she knew over her very sick son. She spent night after night praying over him. She knew all the scriptures, so it was a task she was well educated for. Finally, though, in desperation she cried out to God. The child was getting worse instead of better. When she relinquished her control and inquired of God, He told her she was praying the wrong prayer. He guided her to a prayer on death. You see, she had been praying but she was praying the scriptures she thought would impact the situation. When she stopped and asked God, He led her to an entirely different group of scriptures. The child then recovered. It wasn’t that she wasn’t praying to God. It was that she wasn’t truly partnering with Him. You can see how this could be confusing. She thought she was working with Him but she wasn’t. She didn’t ask Him what she should do. She just did what she knew to do. It may be subtle but there is a huge difference.

Other times, Jesus will show us an entirely new strategy for doing the work. Maybe you fish off the left side of the boat and he will tell you to drop your net on the right-hand side (John 21: 6).

It may take some time pondering these differences to understand what is being suggested today. Of course, you can take this straight to Yahweh and ask Him. Rather than filing away this Word of the Day, ask Jesus to explain it. Do you know he will speak with you? You can have an entire conversation with him. Don’t know how? Ask me. I can coach you.

Recovery

Mark 16:17 – 18

And these signs will accompany those who have believed; in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Here is a passage written in red that we are challenged by! I would like to preach on the whole bit for a week, but I cannot. I hope you, though, will ponder all the things Jesus said. Each of these should accompany those of us who believe. Thus, the question becomes, “Do we believe?” Today I am just trying to get us to believe the last one, “they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Have you already conceptualized this statement even as you read it? What does it mean to you? Surely, this puts us in a different position than previous verses. No longer are we necessarily the sick person, though that could still be where we see ourselves in this scenario. However, we could also be, and the passage suggests this, the person who lays hands on the sick.

We have already seen that there is power in agreement. Jesus is taking us a step further today. He suggests that if we are the sick, we should call for a believer to pray for us with the inevitable outcome that we will recover. However, he really wasn’t speaking from that perspective. He was sharing what the life of a believer looks like. Wherever they go, the blessing follows them. Not only do they benefit from the blessing but also, others share in that benefit.

If you are sick, you should call for a believer. Then, that believer should lay hands on you and pray the prayer of faith. The prayer offered in faith shall quicken mortal flesh and the sick will recover. You recover from sickness.

Now, the other side of the coin. Are you a believer? Well, of course you are! Then, you may be the person called upon to pray for the sick, and what should you expect when you lay your hands on a person and pray for them? You expect them to recover, right? It is not by our power nor our might but by the loving grace of our Father and big brother. Jesus already healed every one of us. So, we are simply the marshals of his good will towards them. You are the point of agreement between the sick and the Lord. In that moment of contact, there are three of you in agreement and whatever you ask, the Lord shall do.

Okay, what if the sick person is a believer? It doesn’t actually change the equation. Call for another believer knowing the signs that are supposed to follow believers. Have that person pray for you. You can still use your faith too, but Jesus is giving us a model here. He was teaching that signs, wonders, and miracles should follow believers. Where we go, there goes the Spirit of God and where there is the Spirit, there is always healing power.

Can your heart embrace this today? I know some of you accept this truth readily and would be the first to pray. For others of you, this passage presents a challenge. You have been very private in your faith and perhaps have never prayed for another person. We have not done enough corporate prayer in church, so we have learned to be bashful. I can promise you this, no one ever described Jesus as bashful. Faith needs an outlet, and here is a bit of good news. It grows as you let it out.

Now, I understand that laying hands on others and praying for them may not come easily to you but if Jesus said it, we must move ourselves towards compliance. Do you agree? The easiest thing is when someone asks you to pray for them rather than you having to offer so do a believer a favor, ask them to pray for you. Require that they lay their hands on you. If you are the pray-er, you can just put your hand on someone’s forehead or on their hand. It doesn’t have to get weird. Just make a physical and spiritual connection and ask Jesus to make the person whole. We know his healing is running around in their veins. It just needs to be made manifest in their flesh. Jesus said the sick will recover so let it be so.

Tired and Weary

Proverb 30: 1 – 3

God, I’m so weary and worn out, I feel more like a beast than a man. I was made in your image, but I lack understanding. I’ve yet to learn the wisdom that comes from the full and intimate knowledge of you, the Holy One.

Some of you can relate to this passage. It reminds me of the song Peace in the Valley. Sometimes the weariness feels like it goes right down to your bones. This is a picture of someone who is over-stressed and tired. Any small thing becomes too much. What would you advise for someone in this situation?

Believe it or not, sleep may not be the answer. Yes, sometimes our bodies need rest and it is important to get that rest and allow your body to renew. What I hear in this passage, though, is emotional and mental fatigue. The author has come to the end of himself and needs more of what God offers his life. Too much sleep, in fact, could lead to depression so, in this case, the author needs proactive remedies.

The scriptures offer rejuvenation. Reading the Psalms can be particularly revitalizing and comforting. Any book or passage which stimulates your relationship with God is good though. Jesus is found in every book of the Bible which I hope I proved in my book,  Journey Through the Bible. I also recommend Isaiah when you feel worn out and beaten up.

Read slowly and absorb. Stop and consider what might have motivated the author. What was he feeling when he wrote the passage? What synonyms could you use in the passage and what do those synonyms offer? If a passage has struck you, stop and read it in several versions. Let those other versions add color and fulness. As you read and absorb it is natural to meditate on what you are reading. As you ponder the scriptures, it is also the most natural thing in the world to begin to pray.

Prayer is a remedy all to itself. We think of prayer as a request for God to do something for us and that is not wrong, but it is only one type of prayer. Prayer, at its base, is conversation with God. When you are worn out and frazzled, prayer is a soothing balm. Nothing, in fact, is more soothing that God’s reassurances and gentle touch.

Take time for restoration. It is the new year and that means that you probably need some recovery time. It is also a good time for us to adopt some healthy habits, like meditation and prayer for example. Be restored and blessed.