READ: PSALMS 9:9-10; 27:8-14; MATTHEW 11:28-30; JOHN 10:10

Come to me.

Come out of darkness.

Don’t look at the shifting shadows.

Don’t listen

to the slithering snake.

Look at the dawn,

light breaking through.

There is hope and joy.

How I delight in you!

You beat yourself all black and blue—

it grieves My heart.

Let Me lead and I will heal.

I will show You things

that will bring life.

I am gentle and lowly,

come and talk with Me,

do not fight, My child. • Catherine Valentine

• Can you think of a time you felt reluctant to speak to God? Maybe you’re feeling that way right now. It happens to all of us sometimes. Satan loves to feed us lies to try to keep us from interacting with God, convincing us that He doesn’t love us or He isn’t good or He doesn’t want to hear from us until we’ve cleaned up the messy parts of our lives. Do any of these lies resonate with you? Do other lies come to mind? Who is a trusted Christian in your life who could help you sort through the lies and bring them into the light of God’s wonderful truth and love? If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future. (James 1:17)

• In the Bible, serpents are often associated with the lies of the enemy (Genesis 3; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9). Satan wants to deceive us and tempt us to try to do things on our own—and then trap us in despair and self-hatred when we fail or when things don’t turn out like we expected. But Jesus is always breaking through with hope. He is infinitely more powerful than the enemy, and He came to set us free. How have you experienced Jesus’s hope in your life? In what ways has He brought you joy or shown you His love?

[Jesus said,] “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 (NIV)