ANSWER HIM

Have you ever been reading along in your Bible and suddenly stop and ask yourself, “Wait a minute, what was just said here?” Sometimes I will read quickly past an introduction to get to the meat of the subject matter. That was what I was doing while reading Matthew 11:25-30. It’s the paragraph that has the quotable lines, “Come to Me, all who are weary and …I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me…For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” But its introductory statement—“At that time Jesus answered”—stopped my progress. Looking at the context of Matthew 11 it doesn’t seem that anyone has asked Jesus a question. It doesn’t even appear that Christ was in a conversation with any other person. Yet the text reads in NASB & KJV, “At that time Jesus answered and said.” Who was it that spoke to Jesus that issued a response from him? God!

Still, there is no record of God the Father speaking to him, but we know when a person answers, they answer the person who was speaking to them. Therefore, this phrase reveals just how constantly connected Jesus was to his Father. Because God spoke into his soul so often his response occurred automatically, naturally, and continually so, there was no need to make record of it.
Jesus had a habit of talking with God. This is our take away concerning this overlooked statement. This is the learnable lesson, the teachable moment that should weld itself to our core. We, like Jesus, should have a deep abiding relationship with our Heavenly Father. We should be in such constant, continual conversation with him that when he speaks to us, no matter what worldly gathering we are engaged with, we would respond to that voice, unheard by any other ears, because our ears are tuned in by the Spirit to answer with joy concerning his true and faithful promises. It would propel us to acknowledge the mercy and grace we live and walk in. Also, it would keep us confessing the sin of which his Spirit has convicted us making our hearts moldable unto his will. What a privilege it is to be in an intimate relationship with the Creator of our souls. When our ears are tailored to listen to His voice we will hear the whispers of His love. What a privilege it is to carry everything to him in prayer. This is joy!
Let our heart’s desire, like Jesus, be in such a state that when God speaks to us we would be prepared immediately to answer him.

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