TAKING AND LEAVING

We all know the old hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” there is a line that is standing out to me today, and it is used a few times in the hymn, TAKE YOUR BURDEN TO THE LORD, and I was convinced it went on and said AND LEAVE IT THERE. But as I checked the lyrics today, this second line I mention is not there.
This is our constant challenge, most of us have learnt not to carry our burdens constantly, but take them to the Lord in prayer, BUT,  leaving them at the feet of Jesus is another thing right ?
In my  first church over 50 years ago, I would take my worries to bed and toss and turn until I had a minor nervous breakdown and  eventually had to resign the church, and was out of full-time ministry for over 2 years.
I honestly can’t say I have totally learnt the lesson, but I am working at it. It isn’t a problem taking the problem to the Lord, the challenge is leaving it with Him. How dare we think we know best, and that we have all the answers, our minds are finite, we often react out of our emotions to the problem and not relate too and refer back  and ask WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY?
The greatest promise regarding this is James’s question:

IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM,LET HIM ASK OF GOD, WHO GIVEWS TO ALL LIBERALLYAND WITHOUT REPROACH,AND IT WILL BE GIVEN HIM. James 1:5

James doesn’t say, go and see the Pastor, or make an appointment with a Christian Counsellor He says go to God, get the BEST WISDOM for the problem. The next challenge is “have we learnt to hear His voice”?As we pray and ask for wisdom we may hear that “still small voice” within, or as we meditate on the Word, God can speak to us. Or it may be through the preaching of the Word at church, or a brother or sister in Christ saying something to us.

We all know God’s timing is different to ours, we usually want it NOW, but sometimes there may be a waiting period, this is when we must leave the problem at His feet, and continue to trust our Sovereign God, He may want to increase our faith, He may want to do a “work of grace” in us, while we learn to wait.

In Galatians 5:22 Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit which includes  what he calls longsuffering, which can be translated PATIENCE. Most of us are a little short on this.

WE OFTEN PRAY LORD GIVE ME PATIENCE AND GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!!

As Paul calls these  9 things fruit, we must feed the life of God within us to let the fruit grow. That is why the Christian life is more about BEING THAN DOING. It is all about character, not how many “brownie points” we can get, by serving in many different church departments.

Feeding the life of God within, is not being so busy doing stuff, but learning to sit at Jesus’ feet, learning to pray, and praise and worship and intercede, and listening and  spending quality time in His presence and Word daily.

I am firstly writing this blog to myself today, for it is TELL ME THE STORY OFTEN FOR I FORGET SO SOON, but to my dear brothers and sisters who read my blog I say,  to:

Slow down and smell the roses

Come aside and rest a while

Simply enjoy Jesus and His sweet presence

Feed on His Word.

If you have a need  today, remember the old hymn, TAKE YOUR BURDEN TO THE LORD

AND LEAVE IT AT HIS FEET