More of “What Mom Taught Me”

Today marks the anniversary of my mom’s homegoing. I am comforted knowing that she is with her Savior and Lord Jesus, and, I miss her! In her honor, I’m sharing another “What Mom Taught Me” story.

Are you weary?

Sometimes I get weary and a drudgery of sort seems to settle upon me. It takes concerted effort on my part to motivate myself to do anything.

When I am weary and want to talk things through with someone, I really miss my mom. For the last several years of her life, it was my privilege to live with her. She was such an example of someone whose faith in God was deeply rooted. We would talk about certain situations in which I needed to make a decision and she would sing her response, “Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.” I must confess at times I wanted to say, “I want to tell you, not Jesus,” even though I knew she was right.

Do you know the hymn, “Tell it to Jesus?” Edmund S. Lorenz wrote the words in German and Jeremiah E. Rankin translated them into English. Each verse of this hymn asks two questions. Presuming a “yes” answer, the hymn says, “Tell it to Jesus.” Are you weary, heavy-hearted, grieving over joys departed, crying uncontrollably, savoring hidden sin, fearing the coming storm, anxious about tomorrow? Tell it to Jesus.

What a great reminder for all of us that regardless of how weary we are of the weather, a person or people, a situation, and so on, we are to tell Jesus our thoughts, concerns, and feelings.

AAnd let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9

Of course, my mind immediately goes to another one of my many favorite hymns, “What a Friend we Have in Jesus,” by Joseph M. Scriven. Verse three says,

“Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge,
Take it to the Lord in prayer!”

These hymns point to God who answers prayer. But let’s back up a little bit. God is able to answer our prayers because He is God. That might seem a bit obvious, but it is foundational to His capability to answer our prayers.

Next, we need to remember that all of God’s promises that He will answer our prayers point to those prayers being according to, or in line with, His will. I can think back over prayers I have prayed in the past and see that, thankfully, God answered them according to His will and not what I wanted, for I can see His hand of protection and guidance through His answers.

Remember, God sees the whole picture, how our one request fits into His plan for us and everyone else. I have struggled with God when He answered some prayers differently from what I wanted. Those times of telling it to Jesus eventually resulted in me asking His forgiveness for not trusting Him!

These hymns point to many biblical truths about God. Among those truths are:

When you are weary, take your weariness and concerns to your Heavenly Father, who is able and willing to help you.

I am so grateful for the time I had to spend with Mom here on earth and I look forward to spending eternity with her.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1 ESV).