Day 1 - Ash Wednesday

The Journey - Lent 2024

By Aaron Austin | February 14, 2024
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Jesus  (Matthew 11:28-30)

 There is no place like home.  Especially when you have been on a long journey.  

Moses had led the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years before standing on Mount Nebo where the Lord showed him the lands that would become home for God’s people (Deut. 34).  However, Moses would not be permitted to enter that land.  I wonder if Psalm 90 is the prayer that Moses prayed as he stood there looking at the home that he would never enter.  In this prayer, he laments the frailty and limitations of human experience as he also prays, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).  A lesson learned.  Over the years, as he journeyed with God through the wilderness, God increased his wisdom to a place where he was able to look at the home he would not receive and yet pray these words:

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations”
– Psalm 90:1

Life has a way of leaving us feeling unsettled through twists and turns, ups and downs.  Rarely is our sense of home tied to a property or building.  And if it is, it is only because of the relationships that nurtured our lives in those places.  Home is relational.  Moses learned that as he walked with God.  Jesus’ words in Matthew 11: 28-30 are an invitation to discover our home with him.  Jesus invites us into a relationship, a journey with him.  We can go through life, with its uncertainties and frailties,  and yet always have a deep sense of being home.  Do you hear his invitation to you?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your invitation, through your son Jesus, to find our home with you.  Sin and selfishness have always left me struggling and striving, always longing for something more.  Forgive my aimless wanderings.  Will you lead me on a journey home?  My soul is only truly at rest with you.  Amen.