He Will Give Us Rest
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Matthew 11:28-30
28. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Sometimes we can get the “blahs.” Life isn’t especially bad, but things are just kind of plugging along. Nothing we can put our finger on, but nothing to “write home about” either. That’s when Jesus wants us to rely upon him. He doesn’t want us to lose hope in the midst of the mundane and the ordinary. We’re not expected to be happy and clapping our hands with excitement all the time! And it’s a good thing, because often we can’t remember the last time we felt like that!
Sometimes we are heavy laden with the weight of living in the world. No matter how much we pray, no matter how diligently we study the bible, no matter what we try to do, we can’t lose that malaise—that unsettledness. I think that may be when we’re the most vulnerable in our relationship with Christ. Remember Satan was in heaven once, with God and has the same divine knowledge that He does! And he uses every opportunity to dig in and make himself heard. When our guard is down and we can’t really put our finger on what is wrong, that’s when we need to check all the windows and doors!
The love of Christ offers us such comfort. He is so kind and gentle, and He extends to us His gentleness and kindness when we seek it. He wants us to be comforted every time we think of Him. Being yoked with Christ allows Him to bear the brunt of our burden. It lightens the load and makes it more manageable. Rather than weighing us down with all the problems and all the sin and evil in the world, Jesus draws us to himself, like a parent pulls a frightened child into their lap and strokes their hair.
Jesus also wants us to continue to labor in bringing about God’s kingdom on earth! He knows the work is hard—sometimes backbreaking! But He assures us he will be there along side us every step of the way.—even when we don’t see Him, he’s there. Even when we don’t feel His presence, he is supporting and uplifting us. He knows we are heavy laden with the woes of this world. He won for us a better world at the end of time. Until then, he labors with us to make this world a better place.
I hope today you feel the weight of world lifted off your shoulders. And that you are comforted in knowing that Christ walks beside you throughout every second of your life.
Mary
