It was one of those Sunday mornings to wake up sleepy, tinged with disinclination and reluctance to get out of bed. My sleepy head was offering me one excuse after another that it did not matter if I slept in and missed going to church. After all, I have been to church on Sundays alone more than 3,300 times. What else would be new to hear or sing or pray for?

I pulled the covers over my head and hoped to fall back to sleep. Not so! After a few minutes of being wide awake, I looked at the clock and saw that I had plenty of time to make it to the worship service — with time to spare.

I sat on my usual pew thinking, Here I am, ready for the usual. But the God of light and the Lord of the living had something special for all who were seeking eternal life for their everyday struggles and issues.

The pastor’s sermon was entitled “The burden of responsibility”. It was a powerful lesson on how to walk with Jesus. It was wonderful to hear that whatever burdens we have, Jesus gives us His invitation:

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. (NIV)

Praise God! Was my response. Jesus will walk with me –- with us. I thought back to my eye surgeon visit, when I was told that my eyesight is in jeopardy: “Nothing more can be done!” For days, I had been digesting this and dealing with the issue. On my way home from the eye doctor, a totally blind young man sat next to me on the bus and in no time we were in conversation. God works in mysterious ways is all I can say. The young man was a wonderfully-equipped blind person who saw more to life than many with good eyes. In that half-hour, I found out that he was a Christian, and our handshake with God’s blessings was one to remember. It truly was strength to move on. Walking with Jesus had lifted my burden.

I was glad to be in that particular service finding joy and peace for my issues. The love of God is so close with Jesus walking with us every step of the way! This is why I was nudged big time to get out of bed and go to church to hear this particular sermon and be blessed by it! What if I had missed it? What else have I missed?

Our need to walk with Jesus never lessens — quite the opposite. God empowers us in the daily issues that get thrown at us with setbacks and trials. Jesus empowers our walk with Him step by step. Praise God!

Prayer: Lord of the living, we thank You for Your lasting love. Thank You for walking with us step by step and for inviting us who are weary and burdened to learn from You and to leave our burdens in Your keeping. We love You, Jesus, our Lord and God! Amen!

Kirsti Sipila
Brantford, Ontario, Canada