While Christianity is often given a bad rap as an exclusive religion, the words of Christ himself are quick to dismiss this notion as evident in this first quote, all are welcome, unless you consider the weary and burdened as an exclusive class:
1. Matthew 11:28-30 New International Version (NIV)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Both the old and the new testament are filled with encouragement, showing God as one who is always ready to rescue those in need:
2. Isaiah 40:28-31 New International Version (NIV)
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
God’s wisdom is available to anyone who calls on his name and is ready to obey His teachings:
3. Proverbs 3:24-26 English Standard Version (ESV)
My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.
Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.…when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
God delights in sharing his good news with the brokenhearted and specializes in rescuing those who are held captive, whether physically or mentally in bondage:
4. Isaiah 61:1-3 New International Version (NIV)
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Sometimes suffering comes from necessary trials, sometimes it is from self inflicted wounds and many times the result of wounds from others, however, God is eager to rescue us and set our feet on solid ground:
5. Psalm 40:1-5
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.
God cares for us and desires a relationship with us:
6. 1 Peter 5:6-7 New International Version (NIV)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Not only does He comfort us in our trouble, but desires that we ourselves learn to comfort those around us;
7. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 New International Version (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
We are most likely to either reject, or notice God when we are ourselves humbled by difficulty and heartbreaking circumstances:
8. Psalm 34:18 New International Version (NIV)
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Jesus is clear that when we follow Him, and not just in superficial lip service, but in genuine devotion, he is not going to give us up to the darkness:
9. John 8:12 New International Version (NIV)
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
He never said we wouldn’t occasionally pass through it, but was clear that we wouldn’t stay there:
10. John 12:44-46 New International Version (NIV)
Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
While it’s often very difficult to see clearly in the midst of a storm, know that there is a very relevant and timeless set of directions in God’s word known as the Holy Bible. It has been a very great source of comfort to people through out the ages and the author of that book is always ready to save, as the ancient men in Jerusalem said nearly two thousand years ago:
Acts 2:36-40 New International Version (NIV)
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
We are indeed the inclusive “all who are far off…”
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