Weariness

Come to Me, all you 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.

Matthew 11:28-20 (NKJV)

A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying heavy burdens of sin, excessive demands of religious leaders (Matthew 23:4; Acts 15:10), oppression and persecution, or weariness in the search for God.

Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.

If you find that Christianity exhausts you, draining you of your energy, then you are practicing religion rather than enjoying a relationship. Jesus said that a relationship with Him would bring rest to your soul. Your walk with the Lord will not make you weary; it will invigorate you, restore your strength, and energize your life.

Hard work or lack of sleep can make you tired. This fatigue can usually be remedied by a good rest. But there is a deeper fatigue that goes beyond physical tiredness. There is an emotional exhaustion that comes from experiencing heavy burdens and draining crises. There is a tiredness deep within your soul that comes from carrying the weight of the needs of others. You can go on a vacation, but your soul will not be restored. This condition can only be rectified by finding rest in Christ.

Some zealous Christians want to do all they can to serve Christ, and they exhaust themselves in the process. It was to these that Jesus extended His invitation to go to Him and learn from Him. Jesus spent most of His earthly ministry surrounded by needy multitudes. He faced relentless opposition, He often prayed throughout the night, and He rarely had any privacy; yet He always received the rest and strength that came from His Father. It was not that Jesus did not work hard but that He knew the path to spiritual rest. Are you weary? Go to Jesus and let Him give you His rest. His rest will restore your soul as nothing else can.

Resources:

"Life Application Study Bible" by Tyndale House Publishers

"The Bible Knowledge Commentary" by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck

Jesus Will Give You Rest

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

I love staying in an Airbnb. The best part? Someone else has made all the decisions for me.

The decor might not be what I’d choose, but I didn’t have to choose it. That means I automatically like it. Where should the dishes go? What is the best spot to store extra pillows? Who cares? Wherever the owner puts the coffee cups or bowls is fine with me. I usually don’t even mind the required cleanup procedures because they’re listed out, and I just need to check them off. No decision-making needed.

Decision fatigue is a thing. Emotional exhaustion is real. Sometimes I think to myself, I’m tired! only to realize I feel physically fine. It’s my brain that’s desperate for rest - spiritual rest. Relief from the weights upon my mind and soul.

I used to think of rest as stopping. As a state of zero responsibility and zero effort expended.

But those moments are rare and unpredictable. I can’t schedule a work emergency to happen at a “good time.” When my kids were little, I couldn’t know when a stomach virus would hit. And now that they’re in college, I can’t predict when a “Mom, can you talk?” text will come. I thought I’d planned out my year, only to find out my parents want to downsize their home. It’s important to me to help them.

Still, rest is possible because Jesus promises it. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Thankfully, He explained how: “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” (Matthew 11:29).

Jesus promises rest for our souls. Rest for the emotionally exhausted and stressed.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, 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.”

Jesus isn’t saying He’ll help us nap. He’s saying to get under His yoke with Him. He eases the emotional exhaustion from so many of life’s hard things. He removes the angst of constant decision-making because we can walk alongside Him on the path He makes clear. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” .

Walking with Jesus, living life alongside Him, is rest. He gives rest to your soul in the midst of all the responsibilities of your life.

God, thank You for Your understanding of my heart and mind and the way You uniquely designed them. Help me rest under Your yoke in the knowledge that the way You lead me is the only way I want to go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

- Dana K. White
Provided by “Proverbs 31 Ministries”