Fairy Tales are fun for children (and adults!). One of my favorites is called Henny Penny. You probably remember reading it to your kids. It starts by asserting that Henny Penny was a hungry little chicken. So, she went out looking for food laying around on the ground.

But suddenly a nut fell off a tree and hit her in the head. She declared, “Oh my! The sky is falling. I must tell the king!” The rest of the tale follows her running around the barnyard screaming the grave news that the sky is falling and yelling that they must go tell the king.

In her world, difficult circumstances needed to be immediately shared with the king. The same is true in our world. And of course, our king is King Jesus.

There is a great old hymn entitled “I Must Tell Jesus.” It was written in the late 1800s by Elisha Hoffman. He ministered to those that we might call the “down and out.” Apparently one day he was visiting with a lady who was in severe pain and that pain caused her to be very discouraged.

Elisha reminded this kind lady that she needed to tell Jesus about all her troubles. And so, she began to repeat that simple truth. “Yes, I must tell Jesus. Yes, I must tell Jesus.” Over and over, she mumbled that thought.

On his way home, those sweet words began to ring in Hoffman’s ears. As soon as he got to his house, he wrote the words and the tune to the powerful hymn, “I Must Tell Jesus.”

“I must tell Jesus all of my trials. I cannot bear these burdens alone. In my distress He kindly will help me. He ever loves and cares for His own.

I must tell Jesus all of my troubles. He is a kind, compassionate Friend. If I but ask Him, He will deliver. And in my griefs with me He will blend.”

Tempted and tried I need a great Savior, one who can help my burdens to bear. I must tell Jesus; I must tell Jesus. He all my cares and sorrows will share.”

At the start of this new week, I am certain that many of us are struggling with trials of our own. Perhaps somebody lost their job recently, or someone is facing a significant health issue. Maybe it’s a relationship challenge, an angry child or an unloving spouse. Maybe an irrational fear has gripped someone’s heart, and they feel powerless. Maybe you just can’t sleep with the events and attitudes of our world swirling in your mind.

Well, it’s time to tell Jesus. He is the kind and compassionate friend who will indeed help carry ALL our burdens.

We must tell Jesus!