I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. Isaiah 46:4, NLT
Competitors on the television show The Amazing Race each carry a large backpack. The bag, when empty, is light and easy to manage. But once it’s packed full of additional clothing, outerwear, extra shoes and other necessities, it can become a cumbersome burden. In fact, sometimes the weight of the full bag can even be a hindrance of sorts.
The racers compete in teams of two. On occasion, the stronger team member would offer to carry their partner’s bag when they notice a struggle. After a time, the unburdened partner would have to resume carrying their own bag again.
As the high priest carried the ephod on his shoulders, so our High Priest carries our burdens, strengthens us in our trials, and enables us to witness for Him even in difficult circumstances.
Some aspects of our lives can burden us from time to time. Depending on what’s happening in that moment, we may struggle to survive. There are times when we may be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. We may have no energy left to carry anything else.
We do not have to shoulder our loads alone. We have a High Priest. We have Jesus! He has offered to carry our loads, permanently.
Shouldering our burdens is only one part of the role. Our High Priest’s work doesn’t end there. He continues to support us by strengthening us through the trials and sticking by our side the entire time. He doesn’t sit on the sidelines, waiting for us to conquer life on our own.
One reason why our High Priest willingly carries our loads is that He loves us. Another reason why He carries our loads is to free us up to share the good news of Jesus with others. Even in our bleak moments, we see glimpses of God’s goodness. These glimmers of hope motivate us to keep moving forward. They’re meant to be shared with others, to motivate them to keep moving forward as well.
Thank you, Jesus, for being our High Priest. Thank you for carrying our burdens.
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This article is part of the Ten Days of Prayer 2018 series. Visit that page to find all the other articles in this series.
