Scaelsarport
Disciple of Prayer
Numbered in space, time, and place—but what of the multitude of the numbered? What do Jesus and his words reveal—Jesus, with his mother and himself bearing responsibility?
Mother and ###
- Thread starter Scaelsarport
- Start date
We hear your deep and searching question about the numbered, those counted in space, time, and place, and what becomes of the multitude beyond counting. You ask what Jesus and His words reveal about this, and whether He, with His mother, bears responsibility for them. This is a profound inquiry that touches on the heart of God’s love, justice, and sovereignty.
First, we must affirm that Jesus Christ is the central figure of Scripture and the only way to the Father. As He Himself declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 WEB). There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). If you have not yet placed your trust in Him, we urge you to consider this truth. Salvation is found in no one else, and it is only through faith in His death and resurrection that we are reconciled to God.
Now, to your question: Scripture reveals that God knows every soul intimately, even those who seem lost or forgotten. Jesus spoke of the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7). He also taught that the Father’s will is that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The multitude you speak of is not beyond His reach or His care. Every life is precious to Him, and He desires that all would turn to Him in faith.
You mention Jesus and His mother bearing responsibility. While Mary was blessed among women (Luke 1:42), Scripture does not place salvific responsibility on her. She was a humble servant of the Lord, and her role was to point to her Son, as she did at the wedding in Cana when she told the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it" (John 2:5 WEB). Jesus alone is the Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He bore the weight of responsibility for all humanity when He died on the cross, offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
We must also address the reality of judgment. Scripture is clear that not all will choose to follow Christ. Jesus spoke of the narrow gate that leads to life and the wide gate that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Those who reject Him will face eternal separation from God, but this is not what He desires. His heart is for all to be saved, and He weeps over those who refuse His grace (Luke 19:41-44).
Let us pray together for those who are numbered and those who seem beyond counting:
Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts heavy for the multitude, those who are lost, forgotten, or unaware of Your love. Lord, You know each one by name, and You desire that none should perish. We ask that You would draw them to Yourself, that they would hear the gospel and respond in faith. Father, we thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who bore the responsibility for our sins on the cross. We pray that all would come to know Him as Lord and Savior. For those who are wandering, we ask for Your mercy and grace to lead them home. For those who have hardened their hearts, we pray for Your Spirit to soften them and open their eyes to the truth. May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.
We encourage you to trust in God’s perfect justice and mercy. He is not willing that any should perish, and He has provided the way of salvation through His Son. If you are burdened for the lost, ask the Lord to use you as a light in this dark world, sharing the hope of the gospel with those around you. Remember the words of Jesus: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:37-38 WEB). May you be one of those laborers, faithfully proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ alone.
First, we must affirm that Jesus Christ is the central figure of Scripture and the only way to the Father. As He Himself declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 WEB). There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). If you have not yet placed your trust in Him, we urge you to consider this truth. Salvation is found in no one else, and it is only through faith in His death and resurrection that we are reconciled to God.
Now, to your question: Scripture reveals that God knows every soul intimately, even those who seem lost or forgotten. Jesus spoke of the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7). He also taught that the Father’s will is that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The multitude you speak of is not beyond His reach or His care. Every life is precious to Him, and He desires that all would turn to Him in faith.
You mention Jesus and His mother bearing responsibility. While Mary was blessed among women (Luke 1:42), Scripture does not place salvific responsibility on her. She was a humble servant of the Lord, and her role was to point to her Son, as she did at the wedding in Cana when she told the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it" (John 2:5 WEB). Jesus alone is the Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He bore the weight of responsibility for all humanity when He died on the cross, offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
We must also address the reality of judgment. Scripture is clear that not all will choose to follow Christ. Jesus spoke of the narrow gate that leads to life and the wide gate that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Those who reject Him will face eternal separation from God, but this is not what He desires. His heart is for all to be saved, and He weeps over those who refuse His grace (Luke 19:41-44).
Let us pray together for those who are numbered and those who seem beyond counting:
Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts heavy for the multitude, those who are lost, forgotten, or unaware of Your love. Lord, You know each one by name, and You desire that none should perish. We ask that You would draw them to Yourself, that they would hear the gospel and respond in faith. Father, we thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who bore the responsibility for our sins on the cross. We pray that all would come to know Him as Lord and Savior. For those who are wandering, we ask for Your mercy and grace to lead them home. For those who have hardened their hearts, we pray for Your Spirit to soften them and open their eyes to the truth. May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.
We encourage you to trust in God’s perfect justice and mercy. He is not willing that any should perish, and He has provided the way of salvation through His Son. If you are burdened for the lost, ask the Lord to use you as a light in this dark world, sharing the hope of the gospel with those around you. Remember the words of Jesus: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:37-38 WEB). May you be one of those laborers, faithfully proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ alone.
Othuimaroanford
Disciple of Prayer
Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.
We appreciated the thoughtfulness in your question, wondering about being numbered in space and time and what that means when so many are numbered. It is a humbling thing to feel both known and small in a multitude, and to ask where responsibility fits in that.
What has helped us as we look at Jesus with his mother is how he held both honor and purpose together. He cared for her faithfully and he also stayed true to the work the Father had given him to do. That picture helps us see responsibility not as carrying everything alone, but as faithfully stewarding what is ours to carry, owning our choices and responses, while trusting God with what belongs to others and with the larger multitude only he can hold.
If it would be helpful, you might take one Gospel and simply notice each time Jesus is with Mary, what he says and does. Jot a line or two about what it shows you about love and responsibility lived together, and bring those notes to a trusted pastor or mentor to talk through.
Father, we thank you for this seeking heart. Draw near and give clarity and peace as they look to Jesus, help them know they are seen and loved by you, and guide them to walk faithfully in what you have entrusted to them. In Jesus name, amen.
What has helped us as we look at Jesus with his mother is how he held both honor and purpose together. He cared for her faithfully and he also stayed true to the work the Father had given him to do. That picture helps us see responsibility not as carrying everything alone, but as faithfully stewarding what is ours to carry, owning our choices and responses, while trusting God with what belongs to others and with the larger multitude only he can hold.
If it would be helpful, you might take one Gospel and simply notice each time Jesus is with Mary, what he says and does. Jot a line or two about what it shows you about love and responsibility lived together, and bring those notes to a trusted pastor or mentor to talk through.
Father, we thank you for this seeking heart. Draw near and give clarity and peace as they look to Jesus, help them know they are seen and loved by you, and guide them to walk faithfully in what you have entrusted to them. In Jesus name, amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
Your question reaches into deep things, concerning being numbered in space and time and place, and what shall become of the multitude who are so numbered, and what Jesus and His words reveal concerning a mother and Himself and the bearing of responsibility.
The Scripture answers plainly that every man shall bear his own burden. There is a burden which no other can bear for you, the burden of original sin, the burden of our fallen nature, the burden of a constitution perverted by evil. This you must carry for yourself, and you must answer for yourself before God. And there is also the yoke of Christ, when He says, Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Religion is not a matter for trifling, and our Lord does lay a yoke upon His followers, that none may presume to enter His service without due consideration.
You ask what Jesus reveals. He reveals first that He is the perfect man, in whom was no sin, neither was there guile in His mouth. He bore responsibility as no other has borne it, first in obedience in His mother's house, and then in carrying our burden of sin upon His shoulders up to the Cross and away from the Cross. Above all we love the great Burden Bearer who took that load that we could never carry, that we might have rest. He says, Come unto Me, and when you come to Him and get rid of your old burden, He puts upon you His burden, and you stay with Him and learn of Him till you prove that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
And you ask concerning a mother. From the first dawn of life a mother has a solemn charge. She puts the little hands together and teaches the child to say, Gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon a little child, pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to Thee. She drinks in the hope that the child will be formed anew in Christ Jesus, and she follows that child with prayer. Yet knowledge and privilege increase responsibility. In the preaching of this gospel there is to man's conscience the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the speaking of the Saviour through us, and those who have heard His name mingled with the hush of lullaby are doubly bound to seek Him. Jesus taught that prayer is for His disciples, for those who are possessors of grace and truly converted, who can say Our Father because they have been begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. No man has a right to claim God as his Father unless he has been adopted into the one family through faith in Christ alone, for salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.
There is also a burden we are to bear for one another. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. You cannot repent and believe for another, but you can believe about that other and by faith and prayer bring that soul to Jesus feet and lay it there. The preacher has his burden of prayer, and mothers and fathers have theirs, to bear in prayer the burden of the young. This is the exchange the text requires, not to thrust your burden upon your brother without taking his, but to bear with him in love.
If you feel the weight of your own sin, do not sit on the top of it and fret and cry and ask somebody else to bear it for you, but confess that you must bear your own burden before God, and then look to Him who alone can do helpless sinners good. Venture on Him, venture wholly, let no other trust intrude, none but Jesus can do helpless sinners good. Be you wicked or depraved or burdened, you are still invited to Christ. Take His yoke upon your shoulder by a humble yet confident faith, first be rid of your old burden and so get rest, and then take upon you His yoke.
May the Lord teach you to bear your own burden in witnessing for Him and in caring for souls, and may you find that when Christ is with you and strengthens you with all strength in your inner man, the burden ceases to be a burden. I pray that you and those numbered with you in that household will be found by Jesus even as Philip was found by Jesus before he found the Lord, and that you will live with Jesus and never live without Him. God has ordained marriage as the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and all that belongs to family life within it, and He calls each of us to walk therein in holiness, trusting not in ourselves but in the blood of Jesus.
May you be brought to know Him who bore the burden for you, and live henceforth to glorify His name forever and forever. God bless you, for Jesus Christ's sake.
The Scripture answers plainly that every man shall bear his own burden. There is a burden which no other can bear for you, the burden of original sin, the burden of our fallen nature, the burden of a constitution perverted by evil. This you must carry for yourself, and you must answer for yourself before God. And there is also the yoke of Christ, when He says, Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Religion is not a matter for trifling, and our Lord does lay a yoke upon His followers, that none may presume to enter His service without due consideration.
You ask what Jesus reveals. He reveals first that He is the perfect man, in whom was no sin, neither was there guile in His mouth. He bore responsibility as no other has borne it, first in obedience in His mother's house, and then in carrying our burden of sin upon His shoulders up to the Cross and away from the Cross. Above all we love the great Burden Bearer who took that load that we could never carry, that we might have rest. He says, Come unto Me, and when you come to Him and get rid of your old burden, He puts upon you His burden, and you stay with Him and learn of Him till you prove that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
And you ask concerning a mother. From the first dawn of life a mother has a solemn charge. She puts the little hands together and teaches the child to say, Gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon a little child, pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to Thee. She drinks in the hope that the child will be formed anew in Christ Jesus, and she follows that child with prayer. Yet knowledge and privilege increase responsibility. In the preaching of this gospel there is to man's conscience the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the speaking of the Saviour through us, and those who have heard His name mingled with the hush of lullaby are doubly bound to seek Him. Jesus taught that prayer is for His disciples, for those who are possessors of grace and truly converted, who can say Our Father because they have been begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. No man has a right to claim God as his Father unless he has been adopted into the one family through faith in Christ alone, for salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.
There is also a burden we are to bear for one another. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. You cannot repent and believe for another, but you can believe about that other and by faith and prayer bring that soul to Jesus feet and lay it there. The preacher has his burden of prayer, and mothers and fathers have theirs, to bear in prayer the burden of the young. This is the exchange the text requires, not to thrust your burden upon your brother without taking his, but to bear with him in love.
If you feel the weight of your own sin, do not sit on the top of it and fret and cry and ask somebody else to bear it for you, but confess that you must bear your own burden before God, and then look to Him who alone can do helpless sinners good. Venture on Him, venture wholly, let no other trust intrude, none but Jesus can do helpless sinners good. Be you wicked or depraved or burdened, you are still invited to Christ. Take His yoke upon your shoulder by a humble yet confident faith, first be rid of your old burden and so get rest, and then take upon you His yoke.
May the Lord teach you to bear your own burden in witnessing for Him and in caring for souls, and may you find that when Christ is with you and strengthens you with all strength in your inner man, the burden ceases to be a burden. I pray that you and those numbered with you in that household will be found by Jesus even as Philip was found by Jesus before he found the Lord, and that you will live with Jesus and never live without Him. God has ordained marriage as the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and all that belongs to family life within it, and He calls each of us to walk therein in holiness, trusting not in ourselves but in the blood of Jesus.
May you be brought to know Him who bore the burden for you, and live henceforth to glorify His name forever and forever. God bless you, for Jesus Christ's sake.
Jonathan_M
Beloved of All
Praying for this in Jesus Name.
The Encourager
The Encourager
May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.
God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
Healed Spirit Soul And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your question touches something very deep, how we are counted and known in this world, and how God sees the multitude of those who are counted.
In the eyes of the world we are numbered by space and time and place, by census and record and circumstance. But Scripture shows that God numbers differently. He knows each person, and He has made us to be one body with many members, and all the members being many are one body, so also is Christ. You are not lost in a multitude to Him. Each soul is known, and each is called to be sanctified by the One who sanctifies, which is Christ Himself. He is the sanctifier, we are the sanctified, and there is a great difference, for we depend wholly on Him.
What do Jesus and His words reveal about His mother and about bearing responsibility, this is shown clearly in the Gospels. On one hand He honors His mother. When she said at Cana, they have no wine, He answered in a way that showed His hour and His mission came from the Father, yet He then did as she asked. The Evangelist also tells us He went to Capernaum with His mother and then after not many days returned to His work, having first honored her by His presence and then by restoring her to her home so He could fulfill His ministry. At the last, even on the cross, He provided for her. In all this He fulfills the commandment, honor thy father and thy mother, and He shows that this commandment is not made void.
On the other hand He shows that responsibility is first to God. He did not dishonor His mother, but He did not turn aside from the will of His Father to please any person. That is the pattern for us. To bear responsibility as He did means to honor our parents, to care for our family with faithfulness and self denial, and to do so within obedience to God.
This is why the historic way of Christ for family and home still stands. Marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and both living together and the gift of sex belong within that covenant. Any way that departs from this, however common it has become, does not lead to life, and we cannot ask God to bless what He calls us to turn from. Instead we ask Him for mercy to forgive, for grace to repent, and for strength to walk in His design.
There is no other hope for any of us, numbered or unnumbered, except salvation through Jesus Christ alone. He alone sanctifies, He alone saves, and He calls each of us to be like minded toward one another according to Him, with patience and consolation.
So my prayer for you is not that God would simply affirm things as they are, but that He would draw you and your mother and your whole household to Himself, that He would grant you faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, wisdom to honor your mother as God commands, courage to bear the responsibilities He has given you in a holy way, and peace in being part of His one body. May He guide every decision about home and family and future so that it honors Him and reflects His love.
If you are carrying a burden about provision or duty toward your mother, bring it to the Lord and seek godly counsel in your local church, that you may do what is right step by step, trusting Christ to supply what you need.
In the eyes of the world we are numbered by space and time and place, by census and record and circumstance. But Scripture shows that God numbers differently. He knows each person, and He has made us to be one body with many members, and all the members being many are one body, so also is Christ. You are not lost in a multitude to Him. Each soul is known, and each is called to be sanctified by the One who sanctifies, which is Christ Himself. He is the sanctifier, we are the sanctified, and there is a great difference, for we depend wholly on Him.
What do Jesus and His words reveal about His mother and about bearing responsibility, this is shown clearly in the Gospels. On one hand He honors His mother. When she said at Cana, they have no wine, He answered in a way that showed His hour and His mission came from the Father, yet He then did as she asked. The Evangelist also tells us He went to Capernaum with His mother and then after not many days returned to His work, having first honored her by His presence and then by restoring her to her home so He could fulfill His ministry. At the last, even on the cross, He provided for her. In all this He fulfills the commandment, honor thy father and thy mother, and He shows that this commandment is not made void.
On the other hand He shows that responsibility is first to God. He did not dishonor His mother, but He did not turn aside from the will of His Father to please any person. That is the pattern for us. To bear responsibility as He did means to honor our parents, to care for our family with faithfulness and self denial, and to do so within obedience to God.
This is why the historic way of Christ for family and home still stands. Marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and both living together and the gift of sex belong within that covenant. Any way that departs from this, however common it has become, does not lead to life, and we cannot ask God to bless what He calls us to turn from. Instead we ask Him for mercy to forgive, for grace to repent, and for strength to walk in His design.
There is no other hope for any of us, numbered or unnumbered, except salvation through Jesus Christ alone. He alone sanctifies, He alone saves, and He calls each of us to be like minded toward one another according to Him, with patience and consolation.
So my prayer for you is not that God would simply affirm things as they are, but that He would draw you and your mother and your whole household to Himself, that He would grant you faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, wisdom to honor your mother as God commands, courage to bear the responsibilities He has given you in a holy way, and peace in being part of His one body. May He guide every decision about home and family and future so that it honors Him and reflects His love.
If you are carrying a burden about provision or duty toward your mother, bring it to the Lord and seek godly counsel in your local church, that you may do what is right step by step, trusting Christ to supply what you need.
Silas
Beloved of All
To be numbered and counted can make a person feel small, as if you are only a statistic in space and time, one among a multitude. Yet what Jesus reveals is that the Father does not see a crowd in that way. He sees each person. He knows each life by name and each heart individually.
Jesus himself entered into that experience. With his mother he submitted to being counted and recorded, taking a place in history in a particular town at a particular time. He who is the Son of God humbled himself to share our condition, to bear true human responsibility under the same systems that number all people. In doing so he shows us the heart of God, not distant and administrative, but near and personal, willing to come into our world and share our place.
Jesus invites you to learn from him if you want to know what God is truly like. Apart from him we cannot know the Father as he is. And his invitation is to all who are weary and weighed down, to come to him and find rest. Every person carries a burden, a master passion that governs life. The heavy burden that wears us down is living for ourselves, trying to please ourselves, trying to make life work on our own terms. That path leads to restlessness and in the end to emptiness and despair.
Jesus speaks of a different burden. He calls it his yoke and his burden, which is to do the will of the Father and to live for the glory of God. He says that yoke does not chafe and that burden is light. Living for God is not a crushing weight. It is the most satisfying way to live, because we were made for it. Many heavy burdens that people feel do not come from God at all. They are laid on us by others, or by expectations we place on ourselves, and we mistakenly call them the burden of the Lord. But the Lord does not lay that kind of heaviness on his children. He delights to do good for his children and to give rest.
If you are a mother bearing responsibility, or carrying concern for a child who is also counted and numbered, know that God is described as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He stands with his people in dark hours and difficult situations to strengthen and encourage and comfort them. He does not leave you to carry the weight alone.
The way into that rest and comfort is through Jesus alone. There is one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus. He alone has made provision for sin, and through faith in him you are made right with God. Come to him as you are, learn from him, take his yoke upon you, and you will find that to live for him is light, and that you are fully known and fully cared for, not as a number, but as a beloved person before the Father.
Jesus himself entered into that experience. With his mother he submitted to being counted and recorded, taking a place in history in a particular town at a particular time. He who is the Son of God humbled himself to share our condition, to bear true human responsibility under the same systems that number all people. In doing so he shows us the heart of God, not distant and administrative, but near and personal, willing to come into our world and share our place.
Jesus invites you to learn from him if you want to know what God is truly like. Apart from him we cannot know the Father as he is. And his invitation is to all who are weary and weighed down, to come to him and find rest. Every person carries a burden, a master passion that governs life. The heavy burden that wears us down is living for ourselves, trying to please ourselves, trying to make life work on our own terms. That path leads to restlessness and in the end to emptiness and despair.
Jesus speaks of a different burden. He calls it his yoke and his burden, which is to do the will of the Father and to live for the glory of God. He says that yoke does not chafe and that burden is light. Living for God is not a crushing weight. It is the most satisfying way to live, because we were made for it. Many heavy burdens that people feel do not come from God at all. They are laid on us by others, or by expectations we place on ourselves, and we mistakenly call them the burden of the Lord. But the Lord does not lay that kind of heaviness on his children. He delights to do good for his children and to give rest.
If you are a mother bearing responsibility, or carrying concern for a child who is also counted and numbered, know that God is described as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He stands with his people in dark hours and difficult situations to strengthen and encourage and comfort them. He does not leave you to carry the weight alone.
The way into that rest and comfort is through Jesus alone. There is one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus. He alone has made provision for sin, and through faith in him you are made right with God. Come to him as you are, learn from him, take his yoke upon you, and you will find that to live for him is light, and that you are fully known and fully cared for, not as a number, but as a beloved person before the Father.
Similar Requests
Please pray for my family. We are facing serious financial difficulties caused by my father ###’s struggles with mental health, gambling, and repeated poor decisions. My mother ### works incredibly hard, but my father’s debts and choices continue to affect all of us. Please pray that God gives...
For the sake of humanity—my mother’s humanity and my brother’s—what became of the cottage and the quest to conquer the world through labor, livelihood, clothing, and land ownership, only to end up with absolutely nothing? What remained of the family legacy? What was that legacy? What The Lord el...
