The burden of confusion

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

At one time or another, everyone is burdened with confusion.  You are faced with a tough situation, and you can’t see any way out that won’t cause even more headaches.  You think that you know what’s right, then become unsure after listening to several conflicting opinions.  You have a decision to make but are paralyzed by having too many options to choose from.  You hesitate to make a commitment because you just don’t know what the future holds.  You are burdened by confusion.

We know that two things are needed for making good decisions—information and wisdom.  So we study the issues carefully when tackling a problem; we gather all the information that we can before committing to a course of action.  We ask for input from specialists and people who might be affected.  We brainstorm a number of solutions to pick from. But that’s just the first half of the process; step two requires good judgment.  Before making up our minds, we try to weigh the pros and cons of each idea; we struggle to anticipate the consequences of our actions so we make things better, not worse.  Sadly, there is usually some important bit of information that gets overlooked; there are unforeseen results that cause problems and bring criticism.  No amount of study and careful thought can guarantee that our decisions will be the right ones.

Jesus said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  One of the burdens He lifts from us is the burden of ignorance and confusion. Unlike us, the Son of God knows everything.  Our judgment is corrupted by sin; Jesus is the wisdom of God given life and breath.  Only our heavenly Lord and Master can be counted on to make the right decision every single time.  Thankfully, He gives us access to His knowledge and wisdom.  We have the Bible where He teaches us everything needed to face the moral challenges of life.  And we have access to God through prayer; when we humbly ask Him to guide our decision-making, He guides submissive hearts to follow in His way. 

You don’t have to deal with the burden of confusion.  Through prayer and the Bible, God offers the guidance that you need.  There is relief in knowing what to do, and Jesus offers you that rest.