Day 195: Immanuel, God With Us? God Beside Us? Really?
Read: Matthew 11:28 - 30
What is it that is weighing you down? I do not believe it is too much
of a stretch for anyone here to admit that there is something that is
weighing them down and it is not the law of gravity which keeps everyone
from floating off into deep space. I mean what is it, what are
those burdens which is weighing you down? That unwelcome set of barbells
resting on your shoulders? I Believe in our lives we have many things
that weigh us down and more times than not, they are things that we can
easily let go of but we tend to hold on to them with dear life, weighing
ourselves down so much that moving forward is seen as virtually
non-existent, almost unachievable in our minds, as far as the east is from the west.
Some would
call this 'excess baggage' and they feel as though they are carrying Samsonite
suitcases everywhere they go - even to the corner store or upstairs to
the bathroom or to the kitchen or just about anywhere else in their home. It is
everywhere you go. Have you noticed the little children going to school
with their backpacks loaded down with their papers and books? Backpacks
for a 5 year old child? Have you noticed how as they go through their schooling those backpacks get heavier and heavier and bigger, bigger? All kinds of stuff ends up within them and it is not always the books
that weigh them down. They trudge off to their bus stop and it looks
like they are carrying just bricks?
You see, we go through our
lives and seem to collect all sorts of things that weigh us down. For
many of us, the things we pack into our lives can get pretty heavy. One
thing I believe we carry around with us that weighs us down is a
distorted image of God. We are an emotional people - we cannot help
that, it is in our very own nature. There is no escaping it. We long for
an emotional connection in the relationships we share with others
otherwise it is not very fulfilling. Emotional connection brings with it
a powerful sense of inner value and self worth for all parties. And is this not what we want from our own relationship with our God too? Don't we need to feel valued and loved by God who says: "Come"?
When we do not feel the closeness, the only thing that remains is the
distance that stands between us. When our burden is the growing
emotional distance between us? Between friends, family, neighbors
and co - workers that is one thing. Contrast that against the Biblical
image of Immanuel - 'God with us' laying His hands and His heart and His
life on the people He healed and comforted and raised and fed? God is
in our midst - we can see Him, we can touch Him and He can and does
touch us! He is now saying "Come unto me all who are heavy laden and I
will give you rest." Saying I am right here, right now and I want you to
place in my hand your burden, you do not have to throw your burdens at me!
Let Us Pray:
Lord help me set aside time each day to meet with You alone. As I come
before You, teach me to pray in the way You want me to. Help me to learn
more about You, Lord. You have said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come
to Me and drink." I thirst for more of You, because I am in a dry place
without You. I come to You this day and drink deeply in need of Your
Spirit. I know You are Immanuel, God with us and standing right beside
us but I also know there are deeper manifestations of your presence that
I long to experience. Draw me close as I draw near to you, so that I
may dwell in Your presence like never before. ABBA, Father, Be not
distant from me! Invite me to Your side this day!
http://www.youtube.com/
Read: Matthew 11:28 - 30
What is it that is weighing you down? I do not believe it is too much of a stretch for anyone here to admit that there is something that is weighing them down and it is not the law of gravity which keeps everyone from floating off into deep space. I mean what is it, what are those burdens which is weighing you down? That unwelcome set of barbells resting on your shoulders? I Believe in our lives we have many things that weigh us down and more times than not, they are things that we can easily let go of but we tend to hold on to them with dear life, weighing ourselves down so much that moving forward is seen as virtually non-existent, almost unachievable in our minds, as far as the east is from the west.
Some would call this 'excess baggage' and they feel as though they are carrying Samsonite suitcases everywhere they go - even to the corner store or upstairs to the bathroom or to the kitchen or just about anywhere else in their home. It is everywhere you go. Have you noticed the little children going to school with their backpacks loaded down with their papers and books? Backpacks for a 5 year old child? Have you noticed how as they go through their schooling those backpacks get heavier and heavier and bigger, bigger? All kinds of stuff ends up within them and it is not always the books that weigh them down. They trudge off to their bus stop and it looks like they are carrying just bricks?
You see, we go through our lives and seem to collect all sorts of things that weigh us down. For many of us, the things we pack into our lives can get pretty heavy. One thing I believe we carry around with us that weighs us down is a distorted image of God. We are an emotional people - we cannot help that, it is in our very own nature. There is no escaping it. We long for an emotional connection in the relationships we share with others otherwise it is not very fulfilling. Emotional connection brings with it
a powerful sense of inner value and self worth for all parties. And is this not what we want from our own relationship with our God too? Don't we need to feel valued and loved by God who says: "Come"?
When we do not feel the closeness, the only thing that remains is the distance that stands between us. When our burden is the growing emotional distance between us? Between friends, family, neighbors and co - workers that is one thing. Contrast that against the Biblical image of Immanuel - 'God with us' laying His hands and His heart and His life on the people He healed and comforted and raised and fed? God is in our midst - we can see Him, we can touch Him and He can and does touch us! He is now saying "Come unto me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Saying I am right here, right now and I want you to place in my hand your burden, you do not have to throw your burdens at me!
Let Us Pray: Lord help me set aside time each day to meet with You alone. As I come before You, teach me to pray in the way You want me to. Help me to learn more about You, Lord. You have said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." I thirst for more of You, because I am in a dry place without You. I come to You this day and drink deeply in need of Your Spirit. I know You are Immanuel, God with us and standing right beside us but I also know there are deeper manifestations of your presence that I long to experience. Draw me close as I draw near to you, so that I may dwell in Your presence like never before. ABBA, Father, Be not distant from me! Invite me to Your side this day!
http://www.youtube.com/
For Those Tears I Died [Live]
www.youtube.com
Music
video by Bill & Gloria Gaither performing For Those Tears I Died
(feat. Donnie Sumner) [Live]. (P) (C) 2012 Spring House Music Group. All
rights
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