“Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” Jesus said Matthew 11:28 (Application Study Bible).
In response to an article on prayer, a bright young lady wrote me, “When in trouble I hesitate to ask Jesus to help me. It’s my fault that I got into trouble, so I should face the music and not bother Jesus about it.”
I admired her refreshing honesty and her willingness to take responsibility. Still, it’s not a good reason to stay away from God. He’s longing to hear from us especially when we’ve messed up. One of the sweetest words in the Bible is “Come.”
The invitation is to people who’ve messed up. “Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow” (Isaiah 1:18 Application Study Bible).
The invitation is to people who haven’t got it all figured out. Come just as you are with all your fears, questions, doubts and failures. “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” Jesus said (Matthew 11:28 Application Study Bible).
We need to tell God exactly what we’ve done wrong and how we feel about it. “I’m sorry, Jesus for …. (name it).” It’s important to be specific.
How do you think Jesus will respond? I hear Him saying the same words to us that He said to the woman caught in adultery: “I do not condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). When we come to Him in this way, He washes away our sin and gives us power to make a new start.
When we’ve messed up, we’re often very hard on ourselves. We flog ourselves with:
“I did it AGAIN! I’m so stupid. I’m no good. I’m a failure. I’ll never change.” These voices are not from God. Satan makes us feel like a complete failure. Jesus makes us feel like a person who can triumph over failure and learn from it.
Thank you, Father, that you do not condemn me when I have sinned. You forgive me and wash me clean. Help me now to forgive myself and give me the courage to make a new start.
By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission
To read more of Helen’s writings go to http://www.helenlescheid.com
Further Reading
• Understanding the Holy Spirit
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