The Great Exchange

by Pastor Gary Ritchie of One Way Ministries

One of the greatest privileges of being a pastor is being able to pray with people! 

It is not uncommon in worship services, to pray with anywhere from two to twenty on a given Sunday. You might wonder what the greatest need would be. In a general sense, everyone has the same need. They need Jesus. They need His help. Their needs are varied but everyone who comes knows who the Healer, Deliverer, Savior, Way-maker, and Helper is – Jesus himself.    

For many, I find myself sharing one of my favorite passages of scripture: 

Matthew 11:  ²⁸“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

For this I know – healing comes in different ways, deliverance manifests in unique ways, and the goodness of God cannot be bottled in one simple prescription. But I have found that most everyone who has a need, actually need to make an exchange. They come to Jesus for they are weary and carry heavy loads. They are tired from the constant struggle. Have you ever considered what a few extra pounds does to a body? I have watched loved ones lose significant weight and then come alive once again. And so it is true when we are able to unload some of the heavy weights we are carrying. 

In Matthew 11 are the words of Jesus and he gives a rather simple formula to unload  –simply tie yourself to him. Matthew 11 invites us to pull up to the table and learn from the master and find rest for our souls. Here is the great exchange – verse 30 – To take on the yoke on Christ and find that our weight gets lighter.  

Most Christians know this truth, but once a prayer is offered on the altar, most everyone leaves with a sense that things are going to be alright. That God’s got this! Sometimes we may learn later that our circumstances never changed, but actually our faith journey had the capacity to commit it to God and let him carry the weight. I have found that one of the greatest gifts we are given as believers is the peace of God that passes all understanding. All hell may be coming against me, but if I have the peace of God, let the storms rage. For with Jesus in the boat, all is well with my soul.   

So… the next time you are weighted down with all of life’s problems, turn it over to Jesus. He will make a quick exchange – your heavy burden for one that was always meant for you to carry in the first place – his light burden. With this thought in mind, you might even be more confident in offering a prayer for someone else when you see them breaking down from the weight of the world. Give them Jesus and lead them to make the Great Exchange.  

May you be blessed this day! Pastor Gary can be reached at pastorgary@onewaydamascus.org or through the web site at www.onewaydamascus.org 

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