Graciously my faith renew;
Help me bear my crosses,
Learning humbleness from You,
Peace mid pain and losses.
May I give You love for love!
Hear me, O my Savior,
That I may in heav’n above
Sing Your praise forever.
LSB 440 st. 6
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:29
“Take my yoke upon you.” This invitation doesn’t sound very appealing by itself. A yoke should mean a burden, or at the very least implies that work is to be done. But Christ tells us that His yoke is where we can find rest for our souls. It is in Christ that we find “Peace mid pain and losses.”
Our terrible burden of sin was removed from our shoulders as Christ bore it for us upon the cross. Christ’s yoke is light because He is bearing the weight for us. Christ continues to bear our burdens, guiding us with His yoke to learn of His gentleness and humbleness. Salvation was won for us when Christ died on the cross. The work has been done so that the yoke we take upon us is no longer a burden, but rest in Christ.
Let us pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, we could not bear the burden of our sin alone, but You sent Your Son, Jesus, to bear it in our stead. Let us rest in the comfort that is found in His gentle yoke, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(Matthew Christian, Sem I)