Pressure PointsSample

Under Pressure

Most of us have a lot in common when it comes to the pressures we face. We worry about money, health, work, and family. We feel a sense of expectation to be better than those around us, to make more money, look more impressive, or achieve greater success. And in the midst of it all, we just want to be happy, loved, and at peace! It can feel like we live under an unrelenting barrage of pressure.

Although the pace of life today is often intense, we certainly aren’t the first to live under pressure. The apostle Paul describes being “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed”. As someone who had experienced hunger, persecution, poverty, shipwreck, and loneliness, he knew what it felt like to be at the end of himself!

Jesus knew pressure even more intimately. He was tempted in the wilderness, relentlessly pursued by crowds, and constantly challenged by religious leaders. He faced deep emotional anguish, even to the point of sweating blood. He was betrayed, subjected to torture and execution, and ultimately carried the weight of humanity’s sin! And despite all this, He presents a different way of living.

He promises rest in His presence for all who are weary and heavy-laden. But this rest doesn’t come from a life with no pressures at all. Instead, He invites us to take His yoke upon us, rather than the yoke of the world.

A yoke was the wooden beam used to join a pair of oxen together as they pulled heavy loads. You might think that Jesus would say, “Come to me, and I will let you throw off all yokes entirely!” But that’s not what He said. He knew that we are all under a yoke of some sort, no matter who we are. The yoke of this world says, “Be better. Earn more. Look impressive. Climb higher. Achieve it all. Stay endlessly busy!” It’s exhausting. Instead, Jesus says that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

We all have loads to carry, but we have two options: we can carry them under the crushing weight of the world’s expectations, or walk through them step-by-step with Jesus, allowing Him to shoulder our burdens.

You don’t have to carry it all today. Bring your burdens to Him, and let Him carry what you were never meant to carry alone.

Let’s Pray
Jesus, I bring You the pressures I’ve been carrying. Help me to walk in step with You, rather than shouldering it on my own, and to trust You with the things that feel too heavy for me. Thank You that Your yoke is easy, and Your burden is light. Amen.