1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 2: You're listening to every Day Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 2: helping you pray God's word for your family in the 4 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 2: areas you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Here, 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 2: we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our first 6 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 2: and best response in parenting, and every day we come 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: together to partner with God for the hearts of our children. 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 2: In the month of April, we are hosting the Everyday 9 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: Prayers for Gentleness book Club on the podcast to celebrate 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 2: our newest release, We're So Glad you're here today. The 11 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,959 Speaker 2: author of our new book and mom of three, Christy Thomas, 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: will lead our devotion in prayer to challenge us and 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 2: encourage us on our journey to grow in gentleness. To 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 2: learn more about Christy, our new book, and the Million 15 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 2: Praying Mom's ministry, visit Millionprayingmoms dot com. You can find 16 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: a link in our show notes. After a brief word 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: from our sponsors, will pray together for our children. 18 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 3: Matthew eleven twenty eight to thirty says, come to me, 19 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 3: all of you who are weary and burdened, and I 20 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 3: will give you rest. 21 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: Take my yoke upon you. 22 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 3: And learn from me, because I am lowly and humble 23 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 3: in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 24 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:22,960 Speaker 3: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 25 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 3: Does it make any sense, my son wailed. I tried 26 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 3: really hard not to sigh as I wiped my soapy 27 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 3: hands off on a towel. Show me what you're working on, 28 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 3: I requested, Still grumbling, he plopped down in front of 29 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 3: the computer chair. I knew his math curriculum was hard 30 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 3: but doable, and I also knew he would continue to 31 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 3: struggle unless I just sat myself down beside him, actively 32 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 3: encouraging him to persevere, which is exactly what I did. Together, 33 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 3: we read through math problems and I kind of half coached, 34 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 3: half motivated him to work his way to the answers. 35 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 3: It wasn't fast, but his attitude remarkably improved. As I 36 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 3: sat with him. He felt seen, heard, and helped. This 37 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 3: is exactly the image Jesus gave us in Matthew eleven 38 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 3: twenty eight to thirty. When I was younger. I imagine this 39 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 3: scene with God as a farmer and me as a 40 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 3: trusty ox, plodding along with his light yoke around my neck. 41 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 3: A yoke is a wooden frame farmers put on the 42 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:19,959 Speaker 3: necks of animals so they can pull a plow or 43 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 3: a wagon. When doing research for this verse, for another project, 44 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 3: I stumbled across the startling fact oxen were yoked in pears. Obviously, 45 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 3: I did not grow up on a farm, so this 46 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 3: was news to me. In this metaphor, Jesus isn't in 47 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,079 Speaker 3: the position of a farmer, beckoning me toward him while 48 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 3: he holds a yoke to lay across my back, prepping 49 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 3: me to pull a plow aka do grand works for 50 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 3: the Kingdom of God. He doesn't load me down with expectations. Rather, 51 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 3: Jesus is in the position of an older, more practiced ox, 52 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 3: patiently waiting for me to slip in beside him, willingly 53 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 3: joining him in his work. As the older and more 54 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:02,079 Speaker 3: practiced Ox, he walked beside me, carrying the burden of 55 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 3: the yoke and the load, teaching me to trust his leading. 56 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 3: This means Jesus doesn't threaten us, saying be gentler or else, 57 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,359 Speaker 3: or I'm sick of your gentleness. Time for punishment, as 58 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 3: I wrote in my book Fruitful. Instead, Jesus picks up 59 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 3: your yoke of sin. That yoke by the way, was 60 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 3: created by humans, not by Jesus. He puts your yoke 61 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 3: on his own back and invites you to walk with him. 62 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 3: Jesus does the heavy lifting while showing you how to 63 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 3: live more like him. His yoke is easy and his 64 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 3: burden is light because he's doing most of the work. 65 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 3: Your work is to give Jesus your yoke and let 66 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 3: him help you carry it. What burdens are you carrying today? 67 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 3: When we're trying to carry them all by ourselves, we 68 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 3: can't possibly be gentle with anyone else because we're too 69 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 3: busy being weary and burdened with the stuff we're supposed 70 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 3: to let Jesus carry. When I'm weary and burdened, I 71 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 3: don't have the bandwidth to sit with my son while 72 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 3: he does his mouth. When I'm weary and burdened, I 73 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 3: don't have a great filter, so I may I speak 74 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 3: harsh words to my husband instead of words tempered with 75 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 3: wisdom and patience. When I'm weary and burdened, even a 76 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 3: dog nudging my arm for a scratch can cause me 77 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 3: to lose my cool, and I cause all this extra 78 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 3: suffering in my world because I choose not to let 79 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 3: Jesus help me carry my burdens instead of trying to 80 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 3: do the impossible on our own. Let's practice sliding into 81 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 3: that yoke beside Jesus. He'll give us a nod and 82 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 3: a smile, speaking words of life while doing the heavy lifting, 83 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 3: and will notice our ability to be gentle. I prove 84 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 3: as we feel seen, heard, and helped. Let's pray Jesus 85 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 3: forgive me for trying to carry all my burdens on 86 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 3: my own instead of letting you help me. I give 87 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 3: you the burden of my sin and the other things 88 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 3: that wean me down, and I choose to let you 89 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 3: help me with these burdens. Thank you for being my 90 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 3: helper and for your easy and light burden in Jesus name. Amen. 91 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 2: As part of our book called this Month, we are 92 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 2: making all of the wonderful perks of our paid Patriot 93 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,159 Speaker 2: members available at the free tier. That's right. The daily 94 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 2: devotionals in written form, bonus materials, special previews, and more 95 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 2: free to you this month only. See the link in 96 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 2: our show notes are on our website to get connected. 97 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 2: Until next time, friends, the Lord bless you and keep you, 98 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 2: make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. 99 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 2: May the Lord look with favor upon you and give 100 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 2: you peace.