God Pause for 7/3/2026

God Pause for Friday, July 3, 2026

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)

Read Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 on biblegateway.com

16"But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 17'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; 19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

25At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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."

Devotion

Jesus acknowledging the Father had hidden things from the wise and revealed them to little children is a real wake-up call that reminds us that God leans toward the humble and open-hearted rather than those who think they have it all figured out. We spend so much time trying to manage everything ourselves—worries about the future, overcoming mistakes from the past, or just the daily grind that leaves us exhausted. The truth is, regardless of how hard we try, we will never figure it all out. The good news is that Jesus doesn’t ask us to earn our way to peace. He simply says to the weary, “Come.” When we surrender those burdens, even the ones we’ve been gripping tightly, he steps in and gives us rest—not the kind that ignores problems, but the kind that carries us through them knowing we don’t have to carry them alone.

Prayer

Sustaining Lord, we praise your steadfast love and gentle strength. We thank you for the invitation to come, weary and burdened, to be yoked with you and find rest for our souls. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Judy Bullock, BCC, '20 M.Div.

Pastor, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN