Freedom and Assurance – The Presidential Prayer Team

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28

What an invitation! “Come,” says Jesus. He had demonstrated His authority over all Creation with miracles that healed the diseases of those who were sick, cast out demons, and brought people back from death. He had shown His power over nature. The Father had given Him authority to forgive sins so that those who believed would be saved from divine judgment. Now was the time to accept His invitation.

The burdens of the Jews in His day were great. The Pharisees had added so many requirements to God’s original commandments that it was nearly impossible to know them all, let alone keep them. Even Nicodemus knew that Christ had something better to offer (John 3). Do those who seek to please God by doing things understand the burden it becomes? How much is enough? How will you know? The search will never be satisfied by human wisdom.

That is why Jesus says, “Come.” Come humbly and empty-handed, believing that He has done all there is to do for your salvation, and He will give you rest. It will be rest from self-help efforts, freedom from cares that rob a person of peace, and assurance that once you believe there is nothing that will remove you from God’s precious hand. He will supply your every need. Oh, the grace and mercy the Lord showers upon His children!

So rise up, Beloved. Give God the glory for His Word that reveals Him to those who have faith in Jesus as Savior. Pray for the people of this nation that they would accept the blessed invitation from Christ. Pray that those who are in authority might humbly respond to the Lord’s bidding to “come,” so their decisions would be God-led and wise.

Today’s Verse: Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: John 3:1-21

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ²This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”