In the passage from Matt 11:25-30, we read of the invitation of Jesus who said: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
About forty years ago, I was just in my mid-30s when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I came to Jesus, not because I was looking for “rest” of any kind. My life was OK, I had a good job, a promising career with an excellent company, I had started a family of my own, and we were happy. I had a solid religious upbringing and strong faith. I was raised as a Catholic, and was in fact devoted to daily Mass. Oh yes, I was very good at religion.
So, when I got an invitation to attend a prayer meeting and to attend a seminar, I declined politely thinking I was okay with the religion that I knew.
But after several repeated invitations, I eventually agreed to attend. What I heard, and what I discovered in that meeting changed my life completely. Immediately, I discovered the joy of having an intimate, personal relationship with God as my Father, with Jesus as my Lord and my Master, my friend. Intimate, and personal. And that changed my life completely. Gusto pala ni Lord na maging close kami sa isa’t isa.
I realized that although I knew my religion, I did not know that the God that I was worshipping didn’t want my faithful attendance to Mass. He wasn’t saying, “Come to Church.” He wasn’t saying, “Come to Mass.” And as far as that seminar was concerned, He wasn’t saying, “Come to the seminar.” What Jesus was really saying was, “Come to Me.”
Then I realized how often Jesus uses the word “Me”? “Come to Me…” “Follow Me…” “Learn from Me…” “Believe in Me…” “Abide in Me…”
My friend, I don’t know how this video got to you, but I am almost sure you know who Jesus is. Do you remember that one time when Jesus asked His disciples, “What about you, who do you say I am?” Now what if Jesus were to ask you that question? What if His question was a little different. Instead of asking you “Who do you say I am?”, what if He asks you: “Who am I to you?” How might you answer that, my friend? Close ba kayo?
Maybe, like many Christians, you pray to Jesus to help fill your needs: “I need strength.” “I need wisdom.” “I need healing.” “I need protection.” Those are good prayers, and we are encouraged to pray in faith that way, because, yes, Jesus is our savior, our redeemer, and defender, our good shepherd.
But for today, may I invite you to pray differently? I don’t want to dismiss the many concerns that you bring to the Lord. And maybe some of them might even be urgent and serious.
But imagine a frightened four-year-old during a thunderstorm. The father doesn’t stand outside the bedroom and shout, “Don’t worry! You’re safe. This house is solid. And it is lightning-proof.” Instead he says, “Come here.”
And so for now, my friend, whether there’s a storm passing in your life right now, or whether you’re in a period of relative calm, how about you and I pray something simple, but sincere. Let us pray the prayer that Jesus would love to hear the most from us, the prayer that He will certainly immediately answer. From the bottom of our heart, let us pray, “Lord, I just want to be with You.”
I believe that when you desire the presence of Jesus, this desire is exactly the prayer that delights Him the most. For Him to be with you, and you with Him. My friend, with that prayer, I want you to see Jesus reach out His hand to you and hear Him say, “Come to Me.”
May the Lord be with you and bless you with His Holy Presence and Peace.
July 5, 2026
You can also view this in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19D9Z9JnhR/
Leave a Reply