By Jill Boman


Without exposure to hardship, whether in our own lives or others’, I am certain that all of us would remain in a state of perpetual infancy. If not for challenges to overcome, the necessity for faith to grow, or opportunities to offer a hand of assistance and comfort, mankind might consist solely of spiritual couch potatoes! But while adversity has its place, we were not created for it. At some point we must rise above. I would like to conclude this series by sharing some concepts that have proven invaluable to me in this process.

Have you ever felt like the weight of the whole world was on your shoulders? Or that you are at the bottom of a well so deep that you can’t see the top? Both of these images convey a sense of being “buried” either by crushing weight or sheer depth. Often, we as believers will address this feeling by turning to the words of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30):

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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 shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

I’ll be honest. I have read those words while feeling overwhelmed and thought to myself, “That sounds great—but I have no clue about how it’s supposed to work!” Oftentimes Scripture is best meditated upon, not just read through, and this is one of those passages that I think is best to chew on for a while. I am sure that others have drawn from here different conclusions than I have, but the impression I am most solidly left with is partnership.

The phrase, “take My yoke upon you,” is intended to bring to mind a pair of oxen harnessed together by a yoke (a wooden frame that fits over the necks of two animals). Being so closely connected, their load is naturally shared. So what is Jesus’ yoke? What does it mean to partner with Christ in the context of a trial? The idea of uniting together the process I was walking through with the process that Jesus went through, from His suffering to His resurrection, occurred to me during a difficult time in my life.

Jesus calls us to partner with Him in suffering. Scripture shows this partnership working in reciprocal ways. Anyone who has been bold in sharing the gospel has experienced some form of suffering, at least in the form of rejection or judgement, at most (common today in some nations) in martyrdom. The Bible contains many references to us sharing in His suffering such as: “…indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him (Romans 8:17).” Jesus, in explaining the cost of following Him, told his disciples (Matthew 10:38), “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Later He told them (Luke 21:17), “…you will be hated by all on account of My name.” But this sharing in suffering is not one-sided; He also shares in our suffering. Teaching His disciples about the responsibility we have toward one another, Jesus said (Matthew 25:40 & 45):

“To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me…To the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”

Not only is He familiar with our difficulties (Hebrews 4:15), but somehow He shares our suffering in a very real sense. When you are wronged, so is He. When you are hurt, He is hurt also. I don’t understand how, but I know that He has been an equal recipient of any unfairness I may have been subjected to throughout my entire life. There is something incredibly comforting to me about that. It lightens my load.

You know the cliché: misery loves company? Even though that phrase usually refers to miserable people trying to make other people feel miserable, there is another reality to it. No one wants to be alone in his or her pain; we all want to be understood and know that someone else out there can identify with our experience. As it turns out, you are in good Company! There is someone who intimately understands your pain because He experiences it with you. That person is Jesus. I laugh now at a comment I made during the time in life when I first realized this. A woman I had been talking to about my situation was offering me encouragement and assuring me that in my stressed emotional/mental state I wasn’t crazy. She said to me, “You thought it was time for the ‘rubber room’ didn’t you?” I answered, “Yeah, but it would have been me and Jesus in the rubber room together!”

Trials come in many forms and from many sources. I would like to address those whose trials have come at the hands of other people. You can partner with Christ not only in your suffering, but also in forgiving those who may have caused it. Being yoked with Him in suffering, allow yourself to continue to be directed along the course that He took.

The scourging scene in the 2004 movie, The Passion of the Christ, brings Isaiah 53:4 to life: “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried.” My husband and I saw the movie while it was in the theaters. The next morning we got up early, and over coffee, shared with each other what was most impacting to us. I mentioned the scourging scene and how I watched it through the filter of Isaiah 53:4—knowing that I was watching an enactment of Him taking upon Himself my griefs and sorrows. It was all so real to me as I saw Him shaking under the stress and trauma—being beaten literally to the ground and then beaten even more. In a strange way, I think it is a very healing scene to watch.

David shared a profound insight about that scene. He said that what impacted him the most was the amount of blood, knowing the value of His blood to believers. He noticed that when the Roman soldiers were finished whipping Him, they were covered in His blood! Think about that for a moment. The blood they were shedding was the very blood that paid the price for the sin they were in the process of committing! What did Jesus say when He was on the cross, regarding those who had placed Him there? He said (Luke 23:34), “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus died not only for the sins that you and I have committed, but also for the sins that have been committed against us. He took upon Himself every sin committed against you, paid the price for it, and then forgave it. Take His yoke upon you. Let Him lighten your load.

Jesus suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, making way for the restoration of man’s relationship with God. But He didn’t stay crucified. Three days after He was buried, He was resurrected back to life (Matthew 28, Mark 17, Luke 24, John 20). We can be partners—yoked with Christ—not only in suffering and forgiveness, but also in His resurrection (Romans 8:11):

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”

The implications of this verse are so incredible that I can hardly begin to wrap my mind around it. If you believe in Jesus, then the very same Spirit that raised Him from the dead lives in you (John 7:38-39). So if the Holy Spirit raised Jesus back to life after being dead for three days, what can He do in you who are still alive? You and I are in our mortal bodies right now; we are not even dead yet. When you chose to follow after Jesus, you received within your being the Spirit of resurrection! The power of the resurrection is at work in you even now as you read this.

Here is a truth that I believe can transform us, empowering us to rise above any challenge that we face, even if the circumstance itself never resolves. Though there is value in the process of walking through difficulty, through the sacrifices of praise that we offer to God in the midst of our pain, and in the depths of faith, wisdom, and maturity we can acquire, at some point we must arise. Jesus didn’t stay crucified forever, and I don’t believe He intends for us to either. He told Martha in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life…” His Spirit, who indwells you and I who believe, is the Spirit of resurrection and life. I believe He can resurrect us now, above oppression, sin, discouragement…you fill in the blank according to what you need to be resurrected above. The Spirit of resurrection is already within you. It is part of His light yoke.

I think it is worth mentioning another discovery here. When we make it to the other side of a major trial we oftentimes find ourselves altered from who we were prior to experiencing it. Restoration doesn’t necessarily mean returning to the exact state you were in at the beginning. Recently I read an interview with the woman who is known as the “Central Park Jogger.” Several years ago she miraculously survived being raped, beaten, and left for dead in Central Park, New York. She has undergone years of therapy in rehabilitating from the brain damage inflicted in her attack. One of her comments that most struck me is that she refers to her life before the assault as her "first life” and the time since as her “second life.” Both she and her life are very different now, but they are good. She travels as an inspirational speaker for various groups around the country, offering encouragement to others who are hurting. When you consider the growth that takes place as we walk with God through adversity and the changes it brings, returning to the original state would be taking a step backwards. When God’s Spirit resurrects and restores us, we move forward to where we begin to see Him use our experiences to His glory.

The provision of God’s grace is much more than our need (1). Romans 5 contrasts the power of sin and death with the power of grace and life repeatedly:

“But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.” (Romans 5:15)

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)

“…but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:21)

According to these Scriptures, which is more powerful: the power of sin and death, or the power of God’s grace? If you answered, “God’s grace,” I give you an A+! You cannot possibly out-need God’s grace. No matter what your situation, the grace available to you from God is much more than that! Verse 21 implies that the greater the need, the greater the grace available for it. In other words, God responds to us accordingly. There is not a “one size fits all” measure of grace that is allotted to everyone.

We Christians often use the words, mercy and grace, interchangeably. I heard a great illustration regarding the difference between the two. Imagine that you are driving your car too fast and get pulled over by a police officer. If the police officer walks up to your window and gives you a warning instead of a ticket, you have just received mercy. But if the police officer gives you $1,000, you have just received grace! Mercy means not receiving something bad, even if you deserve it. Grace means receiving something good that you haven’t earned, or don’t deserve. God’s grace is abundant, and according to Romans 5:17, if we receive it we will reign in life.

But where can we find this grace so that we can reign? The beginning of Romans 5 tells us (Romans 5:1-2):

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand…”

According to verse 2, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you are already standing in grace! Imagine a cloud of grace engulfing you wherever you go. Whether you are in the grocery store, driving your car, or getting out of bed in the morning you are surrounded in grace. And when tribulations come your way, the measure of that grace increases exponentially.

The yoke Jesus invites us to join Him in is a beautiful example of the abundant grace God makes available to us. By accepting His invitation, we unite ourselves with Victory itself. Though suffering is a part of life, God is not intimidated. But don’t just take my word for it. Take the Word of the Lord Himself (John 16:33):

“These things I have spoken to you, that you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Because of Him, you are going to triumph.


(1) For a more thorough and greatly encouraging discussion on grace, I highly recommend reading the book, Grace…the Power to Reign, by Harold Eberle (copyright 2001, Winepress Publishing, available at worldcast.com).