“My yoke is easy my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29
A yoke is meant to make a heavy load pull-able. It adds an element of comfort to an otherwise painful and maybe impossible task for the animal to perform.
Jesus yoke is summarized in “I delight to do thy will, O God…” Heb 10:5-7; John 4:34
His yoke is the attitude of servitude that made the burden possible to pull: delight in and love for the Father and His will and His intention to bless behind His will.
A yoke distributes the weight of the burden to be pulled: delight in the will of God takes away the crushing weight by bringing balance and evenness to the load. Love for God and trust in who He is transforms how we experience the load we bear. The burden or cargo is made light enough to navigate.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly [humble] in heart…”
Meek and lowly of heart: “It is the temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting; it [meekness] is closely linked with the word humility…it is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God and more or less struggle and contend with Him. This meekness, however, being first of all a meekness before God, is also such in the face of men, even of evil men, out of a sense that these, with the insults and injuries which they may inflict, are permitted and employed by Him for the chastening and purifying of the elect.” Vines
“And ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
True rest and peace comes from being in partnership with Jesus and his delight in the servitude of doing the will of God, absorbing his sweet trust and surrender to that will, knowing all His dealings with us are for Highest Good.
The other day I realized one way to apply the yoke of servitude-with-joy to when I feel like a failure. When I react, and label myself as “failure” I am not in partnership with Jesus, using his yoke. Such self-condemnation makes the load very difficult if not impossible to pull.
The yoke of Christ would say: I delight in this experience and its lesson.
I delight in the PROCESS of sanctification. I will go forward with the lesson, and apply it to the best of my ability next time. I will be grateful for the gift of learning that comes from every intense reaction. I will trust in Him and this process. I will trust in His ability to work all things for good and be assured of His Love and forgiveness.