Come

These days thinking seems to come slowly. As if the constant chaos around me has thrown so much debris into my mind it can’t work properly. But sometimes, when I least expect it, thoughts jump out of the chaos with a clarity that sets my mind awhirl. Here’s the story of one such time.

The Backstory

In my twenties, I went to work as a loss auditor for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. A college graduate at her first big job. But I crashed and burned as I tried to figure life out on my own. Kneeling by my bed one night, I told God, “I give up.” Those three words, said from my heart, began me on a journey that’s lasted a lifetime.

I knew enough from my growing up days that the Bible is God’s word. I dug in hard, trying to learn what life is really about. What did it mean to be a Christian woman? What would the Bible tell me that would help me do life?

Shortly after “giving up,” I attended a conference where I was challenged to memorize Scripture, not just read it. Matthew 5-7, The Sermon on the Mount, was recommended as a great passage to learn. And so, during my lunch breaks, I walked the neighborhood behind my Atlanta office, quoting the verses out loud.

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

Matthew 5:1

The Familiar Seen Differently

I’ve mulled those verses over numerous times in the years since then. I could picture Jesus going up the mountain and sitting down. I could imagine people crowding around Him, pressing in to see the Master. And I could hear the words He spoke, revolutionary words for then as well as now.

But last week, as Matthew 5:1 ran through my mind again, I was stopped cold. It was one of those moments when something you’ve seen a million times suddenly creates a chaos of its own with a thought that shatters the familiar.

Why did Jesus, when He saw the multitudes, not go to them? Didn’t He want them to hear what He had to say? Isn’t that what we are supposed to do, go to the ones in need? But the Bible doesn’t read, “Jesus saw the multitudes and went to them.” Instead it reads, Jesus, seeing the multitudes…went up into a mountain. He didn’t go to the multitudes. He waited for them to come to Him.

After forty years, God showed me a truth in that one verse different from what I had seen before. Jesus could have gone to the people. But He didn’t. He is willing to teach us. But He won’t force Himself or His words on us. He didn’t do it then. And He won’t do it now.

A New Look At An Old Truth

I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, one of my favorite verses in Scripture is Isaiah 30:15:

For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

If we return to Him, we’ll find rest in Him. If we quit trying to do things on our own and are willing to quietly yield to Him, He will be our strength. Sadly, too often, we don’t.

How wonderful it would be if, every day, each of us would remember to come to Jesus. Simply be still before Him and let Him teach us. Let Him fight the battles for us that we were never intended to fight on our own. Let Him be our strength and rest and peace.

Jesus Says Come

Biblical truths repeat themselves throughout Scripture. Matthew 11:28-29 is another reminder Jesus wants us to come to Him.

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.

Come. And we will find rest for our souls. What a blessing!

When you’re struggling through one more chaotic day, remember—Jesus says, “Come.” When the days are calm and easy, still remember—Jesus says, “Come.”

The disciples saw Jesus sitting on the mountain, waiting. And they came. Even now, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, waiting. For me. For you. He wants to teach us. He wants to give us hope, peace, joy, strength, courage, love—everything we need to do life.

Let’s not keep Him waiting. Let’s come.

A Song In My Heart

I love when God gives me a new thought or adds clarity to previous thinking. The more I thought on the fact that Matthew 5:1 had a twist of truth to it I had missed earlier, God connected the dots with other Scriptures that pointed to the same truth.

A few days later, a song played in my mind, and I realized the words told me the same truth—Jesus says, “Come.”

Here’s the song for those of you who might have a few minutes to enjoy listening. It was played a few weeks ago at a funeral for a long-time family friend. The song came back to mind just when I needed it to reinforce a truth lesson. The title? “For Those Tears I Died.” But I know the song by the first line of the chorus, the words God knew I needed to hear, “And Jesus said come.”

(Scripture: KJV; Photos: taken by Carolyn Thigpen, Stone Mountain Park, November, 2021)