Tell It to Jesus

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Are you weary, are you heavy hearted?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Are you grieving over joys departed?
Tell it to Jesus alone.

Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus,
He is a Friend that’s well known.
You’ve no other such a friend or brother,
Tell it to Jesus alone.

There's not a single one of us that could say that there's never been a time that we've had to answer "yes" to the questions in the first (or any verse) of the hymn "Tell It to Jesus." Ever since the fall of man, grief has been a part of life. Few things are more miserable than the feeling that we're facing our griefs alone. But life doesn't have to be like that, as this hymn reminds us.

First, let's put to rest the notion that there's anything that we can do to turn life into smooth and easy sailing. There are those who ascribe to the "name it and claim it" prosperity "gospel" who will say we can experience that, but it simply isn't true. As Job observed thousands of years ago, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble." As Job learned, some of those troubles feel like more than we can bear.

Now, let's put something else to rest. I can't count how many times I've heard someone say, "The Lord will never put any more on you that you can handle." That's also not true. It's based on a mistaken understanding of Deuteronomy 33:25 which says "as thy days, so shall thy strength be." If one continues to read, it's plain to see that the strength is in God, not us. In fact, the Apostle Paul spoke of being "pressed out of measure, beyond strength."

That seems to be a dark picture, no doubt, but that's what makes the words of this hymn so sweet. Even in the times of trouble when we're pressed above what we can handle, we have a refuge. I'd like to take the words that immediately follow the often misunderstood words of Deuteronomy 33:25 and show you what I mean. "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them."

If we feel overwhelmed, we can tell it to Jesus. If we feel pain, we can tell it to Jesus. If we feel grief, we can tell it to Jesus. If we feel fear, we can tell it to Jesus. If we feel guilt, we can tell it to Jesus. When we do so, we're taking our problems to the only One able to truly handle them. He is our strength. When we claim that wonderful promise, suddenly, there is nothing that is too much for our strength, because we are no longer relying on ourselves, but God Almighty.

We need nothing else to get us through the difficult times. The next time you're in difficulty, don't waste time feeling sorry for yourself or digging the hole deeper. Instead, tell it to Jesus!