Prayer
As always, we open with prayer. Can we pray for you this evening?
Passage
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,3
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
Praise
All to Jesus I Surrender
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
2 All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
3 All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
Ponder
Watchman Nee says, “The secret to Christian growth is not to ‘try harder’ but to ‘surrender more.’” But why do you think, for many of us, that surrender can be so much harder than our effort? What does such a surrender entail?
Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come to Him for rest. What might rest for a person’s soul look?
God promises to trade ‘ashes’ for ‘a garland’, and ‘mourning’ for ‘gladness.’ If you are comfortable in doing so, share a time when you’ve seen God transform something broken into something beautiful—or perhaps where you’re still hoping God will.
Jesus’ call in Matthew 11:28 has an urgent, “Divine Now” tone. What might happen if we responded to Him right away instead?
Isaiah 61:4 tells us ‘they’ will rebuild, restore, and renew the city. Who are the ‘they’ of whom Isaiah speaks about here—and why is it so important to know? (Also, as an aside, have you ever met such a 'they' before? What did you see change before your eyes?
Pray and Part