Yokes, Burdens, and More

In the midst of crying out to the Lord that I wanted to experience His joy, He pointed out something in me that seemed totally unrelated to my lack of joy.  Just as with His disciples when walking on this earth in flesh, Jesus managed to expose the root of the issue – and it did, indeed, relate to the symptom.  First, He helped me see that I had gotten back into the place of trying to carry, in my own strength, the people He has assigned to me for prayer.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV  “²⁸ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

What does this have to do with a lack of joy?  When I carry someone in prayer in my strength, rather than sharing Jesus’ burden, my fleshly mind is in charge.  I leave the place of praying from Father’s heart, and enter into what I see with natural eyes and think with a natural mind, flowing from there right into criticism and judgment, which are major joy robbers.

Matthew 7:1-2 AMP  “¹ Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.  ² For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

In taking on the burden apart from Jesus, I had put myself in the place of God, and He’s the only One Who can ever shoulder the weight of a human burden.  On my own, all I can see is the natural, and it frustrates me.  If I continue to pray for the person in this state, it’s not with faith, but with doubt that they’ll change.  In addition, I usually speak the doubt, aka criticism and judgment, out of my mouth, giving more power to the devil to keep them bound in that behavior.  When I share Jesus’ burden, instead of trying to carry it myself, I focus on and speak out what has taken place in the spirit realm through prayer, which will show up in the natural, as I stand in faith, believing.

As people of prayer, we have a responsibility to carry the yokes and burdens Jesus shares with us, only in His strength, trusting Him to make the necessary changes in the ones for whom we intercede.  Not only do they benefit as we pray effective prayers straight from Father’s heart, we benefit, too, because we remain in that place of joy, peace, faith, and rest paid for with His blood.

Thank You, wonderful heavenly, Father, for opening our eyes – again – to see the people we’ve tried to carry on our own in prayer, and for lovingly convicting us of how we stray from Your heart without even realizing it.  We repent for that and for criticizing and judging the very ones we so desire to see walking in fullness with You.  Thank You for restoring us to the fullness of Your joy in Jesus, and for doing the necessary work in them as we trust You with them completely.  We love you so much, and thank You for loving us!  In Jesus’ name we are able to pray this.  Amen.

© Copyright 2009  Kay V. Stocking