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Seed Thoughts

Seed ThoughtsLynette Hagin

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun - scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be Like a well -watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
- Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)


One phrase that I hear from people is, “I’m all stressed out.” We live in a very tense, uptight, and fast-paced world. It seems that we are constantly in a hurry— running from one task to another. We may not be doing everything better, but we are certainly doing everything faster.

Recently I was in a city where my cell phone did not have 3G capability. I was trying to post birthday greetings to my Facebook friends, and I was getting irritated because each connection was taking so long. Suddenly I had to laugh at myself. My husband and I had taken a few days off to relax, and here I was getting uptight about the slowness of my cell phone. I was stressing out in the midst of trying to relax!

The Lord does not desire that we be stressed out. Matthew 11:28–30 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I like the Wuest translation of these scriptures: “Come here to me, all who are growing weary to the point of exhaustion, and who have been loaded with burdens and are bending beneath their weight, and I alone will cause you to cease from your labor and take away your burdens and thus refresh you with rest. Take at once my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find cessation from labor and refreshment for your souls, for my yoke is mild and pleasant, and my load is light in weight.”

Most of us are not familiar with a yoke. It is a wooden beam used to join a pair of oxen to allow them to pull a load. Together, the oxen can pull a much heavier load than either one could alone. Too many times, we try to pull our load by ourselves. God never intended for us to carry our burdens alone. He wants us to be connected to Him. Accept the Master’s yoke—He declared that it was very light.

I love to read the psalms of David. He encountered many stressful situations. Many times, his life seemed to be falling apart. Yet in the midst of each situation, where did David find refuge and rest? In God! In Psalm 40:1–3 (NLT) we read, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.” You may be looking at your impossible to-do list right now. It may seem that you are at the end of your rope. As you focus on your responsibilities, deadlines, demands, decisions, and tasks, you may be saying, “I ought to—I must do—but I can’t do.” The chasm between the ought-tos and the seemingly can’t-dos may be overwhelming you, bringing growing feelings of frustration and tension. You may even be experiencing physical symptoms and thinking, I’m ready to throw in the towel.

I want you to know that the Lord is waiting on you to ask for help. Years ago I realized that the tasks the Lord had for me were far more than I could handle by myself. If I didn’t trust Him to help me in every situation, I was headed for destruction. It was in these moments that I found scriptures for each challenge. When I need strength, I call on Philippians 4:13 (NKJV): “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When I need wisdom, I appropriate James 1:5 (NLT): “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

I found that as I called on God, He would show me shortcuts. He would give me the wisdom to handle each situation. He would help me prioritize my agenda. He would calm my fears and soothe my doubts. As I looked to Him, I could walk in peace regardless of looming deadlines or situations. I have practiced this for many years. And although my schedule is much more hectic than in the past, I can truly say that I walk in peace, because I allow the Lord to be at the steering wheel of my life. I encourage you to do the same.