Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
By: Joseph M. Scriven, 1819-1886 (1855)
Listen to this simple piano version as you read, or watch the video complete with lyrics then read. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.
Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes everyone. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.
Everyone enjoy this video, and the transcript below.
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We continue our journey through another great hymn today. In the first half of this stanza, we consider cares and the refuge God provides from them if we will “Take it to the Lord in prayer”. What kinds of forms do those cares take? Let’s press in again today as we tune our hearts.
Are We? We Are!
I love how this hymn asks all these rhetorical questions. I love asking questions. I have often found it is a good way to gain understanding and really hear the person who is there with you. People like to talk about themselves, so this is truly a great device used very effectively in this hymn.
The question that opens this stanza asks if we are “weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care”. When was the last time you used the word cumbered? Yeah, I know, me either. It means to hamper or hinder. Those burdens we carry hamper and hinder our walk, equated with our relationship to Christ. He does not mean for them to cumber us with a load of care, but rather to use those cares to encourage us to come to Him.
Before we go any further though, let’s just get this out of the way. Are we cumbered? We are.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 ESV
We are cumbered. But. That is a powerful word, and it appears four times in these two verses.
afflicted BUT not crushed
perplexed BUT not despairing
persecuted BUT not forsaken
struck down BUT not destroyed
So what are your current afflictions? Perplexities? Persecutions? Downers? Take a few moments and acknowledge each of them that comes to mind for what they are. Seriously. Right now.
Now take a few more moments and thank God that you can bring each of them to Him and because of Who He is and What He has done…you are not crushed, despairing, forsaken or destroyed. Seriously. Thank Him right now.
Are we….? We are! BUT. Instead of being cumbered, you can come to…
Refuge
Kind of like that dated term of cumbered, although not quite as archaic, refuge -in the way I think of it in this light- is more like a castle than a retreat center. When we think of coming to Him with our cares, I think of running from a full-on assault, not like I simply need some time to decompress and process. I need to learn to flee to Him so my cares do not cause me to get picked off in the battle raging in my soul.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8 ESV
As I see it, there are two parts to this:
- His refuge
- My trust
God is a refuge for us. I must believe this. I am not going to go to Him if I do not believe He can protect me, or that He wants to do so. Are you so convinced? If not, maybe that is why you feel so cumbered. If convinced, do you still feel cumbered? If so, maybe you simply are not taking things to Him. Believe He is a refuge. That is the first part.
I must trust Him at all times. That trust will cause me to pour out my heart before Him. I will not keep things to myself that I am incapable of overcoming. I will acknowledge when I am overwhelmed and will come to Him. He wants us to find refuge in Him, but it does require that we bring everything to Him. Not just the big things. Everything. That is the second part.
So how are you doing with these two parts? Do you believe He is a refuge? The question that reveals if you actually do is this next one: Are you taking everything to Him? I know we keep coming back to that in this hymn, but that is by design. We must resolve this issue and learn to take everything to Him.
Let’s practice. Think of two things you need to take to Him. Got them? Take them to Him now. Talk to Him about them, and then listen. Then keep bringing them, especially when they afflict or perplex you, when they persecute or strike you down. Doing so will help you practice and believe He is your refuge!
Jesus, thank You that even though I face cares of many kinds, You are my refuge from them all. Help me to learn to bring each and every one of them to You as an expression of my trust in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Unencumbered Tuning!
Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.
Like what you finding here? Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.
Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.
Video 13.3 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Jesus invites all who are weary and heavy-laden to come to Him and find rest. We all have burdens we struggle under that reveal our lack of strength. If you can acknowledge your weakness, you are in the good company of the humble hearts who look to Jesus. Can you?
Acknowledging you have a burden you cannot bear positions you to look beyond yourself for refuge and relief. When you earnestly look, you will find Jesus ready and willing to help you. Take whatever it is to Him right now and find Him to be the precious Savior again, or for the first time.
Little is as painful as when someone you thought was a friend who would stick with you through the worst life offers turns away from you in your moment of greatest need. Jesus will never do that. If you were still struggling with a time a “friend” despised or forsook you, go to Jesus.
Solace is comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness. We all need that. Though we may find some measure of it elsewhere, no other place compares to that which we find in the arms of Jesus. What an incredible image finding rest and protection there. What’s stopping you?
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
The post What Weight Will You Lift to the Lord Today? appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Cumbered with a Load – https://pixabay.com/photos/boxes-cardboard-carrying-overload-2624231/
Refuge – https://pixabay.com/photos/battlements-bulwark-buttress-castle-1238268/
Leave a Reply