He'll Give You Rest

Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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 will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Exhausted, fatigued, sapped, spent, drained—ever felt like that? Yes? Then you know what it’s like to be weary. Not just physically tired, where a good night’s sleep revives the energy in your body. But, weary. Exhausted right down to the soul. Your heart hurts, your heads aches, your spirit sags. Life’s been sucked out. This kind of life draining experience often occurs with stress, loss, when the same frustrating situation occurs over and over again or when hope is lost. You’re so spiritually beaten down, you want to crawl under the covers and hibernate like a bear. Or sleep the day away like my dogs. And sometimes physical rest is part of the process that refreshes a hurting soul. But there’s more.

Jesus offers to take the burden, carry the stress, and restore the spirit. Anytime I’ve taken my weariness, my burdens, my stress and anxieties to him, I find hope and peace. Not only do I give him my burdens, I take on his ways and pray his gentle spirit and humble heart will fill me. Spending time in prayer and reading the Bible relieve me of the weariness the world brings. Asking others to pray with me and for me gives me encouragement. For me being outside surrounded by God’s creation restores my soul. I’m thankful Jesus loves me enough to carry my burdens and give me rest. Praise God for his son!