Come to me,  all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

Matthew 11:28

Rest. It seems at times like a far-fetched hope, somehow always out of reach. Like trying to catch a beautifully fragile bubble that pops and disappears as soon as it is touched. We all long for rest. For peace. From the mountainous to-do lists of everyday life to the silent burdens of generational sins, we feel heavy, overwhelmed, and left gasping for air. We search for relief all around us. Some may find temporary solace in a glass of wine. Others may choose to disengage for a while in games and entertainment. Others may want to close their eyes and sleep forever. Perhaps you, dear Believer, cry out to the LORD. Over and over. Yet, why this continued sense of fear and anxiety? Of strain, struggle, and striving? Let’s look at the commands in the above verse a little closer. 

Come to me….We must first approach the throne of grace and lay it all out to the LORD. He knows you are struggling, hurt, and overwhelmed. But, we must “draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8-10). James continues, “cleanse your hands, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep!” We find ourselves in many burdensome situations because we did not consult the LORD. Perhaps, in our pride, we believed we were strong enough, smart enough, or resourceful enough to handle it. Maybe, you are a natural worrier and have difficulty letting go of the concerns of this world. Come to the LORD. Confess your difficulty, repent of your pride, and leave it to Him. 

Take my yoke….Next, we must take on His yoke. What does this mean, exactly? By definition, a yoke is a “wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull.” The objective, of course, is to share the workload as they are joined together for a specific task or purpose. To take on Jesus’ yoke, we must submit to Him and give Him control of guiding us in the direction we are to go. It is in taking the yoke of Christ, that we experience true freedom.  We are all yoked to something. We are all under submission of some kind.  Paul in Romans plainly states, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Under what or whom are you under slavery? Believer, remove that yoke of sin, and take on the yoke of the One who loves you and died for you. Stress will not guide you well. Worry will not give you what you need. Even your heart can deceive you. And certainly, the Enemy wants to cripple you. But God has given us the solution. “It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed]” (Galatians 5:1 Amp ). Be led by the Good King. He will lead you by the peaceful waters, in the way of the everlasting.

Learn from me….Additionally, after we have come to Him and come under His loving rule, we are to learn from Him. We are now abiding in Him, close to Him, and ready to absorb all our Great Teacher has to share with us. Here, specifically, He reveals to us His gentle and lowly nature. He expresses His heart to us and for us. He knows we are tempted to feel discouraged and exhausted with the burdens of life. He knows our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak. Because of His perfect understanding of the human spirit and because of his perfect love, He “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death”(Philippians 2:8) as an example for us. His gently and lowly nature allowed him, being God, to be an obedient servant. Even in the midst of His suffering, Jesus set an example for us.  “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered”(Hebrews 5:8)

This is what we are to learn from our dear Savior. Only as obedient, submissive servants of the LORD will we find our rest. We must follow His example to accept the will of the Father with thanksgiving. We must, like Christ, seek and do all for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We must learn to focus heavenward.

You will find…Rest. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:6-7). The LORD desires to give us rest. He has been speaking of rest for His people since the creation of the world as a Sabbath. He speaks of it in His covenantal promises to Abraham in the Promised Land. He speaks through the prophets, “In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength”(Isaiah 30:15). Yet, all of these point to our ultimate rest in Christ. He has done the work, He has paid the price…for us to have freedom. Freedom from turmoil, stress, and the worries of this life that try to take away rest and our peace. 

Will you come to Him and find rest, dear Believer? He is calling you to come and take His yoke upon you, for it is easy and His burden is light. So today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His (Heb.4:7-10). May you find rest today. 

I hear my Savior saying, by James M. KIrk

The LORD be with you, 

Bianca