I’ve had this photo of my kitty for a long time, and I think it must be what I look like when I’m so heavy-hearted and giving all my worries to God. You know when the weariness and stress of life has bubbled up to your eyeballs and you just want rest?
Do you ever physically feel the effects of a Bible passage as you read it? When the truth of it calms your heart and eases your mind, causing your body’s tension to release, your muscles to relax, and your lungs to let out a long cleansing sigh? This is what I feel when I read Jesus’s words in Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Reading the phrase “rest for your souls” makes me want to let out an audible ahhhh. Doesn’t that just sound so sweet? When my heart is heavy and I read this truth, I can feel the relief.
There are a few actions Jesus asks us to take here to receive this soothing rest:
“Come to Me”: He isn’t going to force us; He invites us to come to Him and ask for it. This shows we acknowledge where the rest comes from and Who gives it. JESUS is the Giver of rest.
“Take My yoke upon you”: Jesus exchanges our heavy burden that we’re carrying like a yoke on our shoulders for His much lighter yoke. He carries our burden of the cross and our sins, so we can be relieved from it. Ahhhh, relief.
“Learn from Me”: I think this is an action in this verse that is often overlooked. If we want eternal rest for our souls, we need to constantly be learning from the One Who gives it. Learning from anyone would require spending a lot of time with them, right? It’s a relationship. And the more time we spend with God through prayer, reading His Word, and serving Him, the more rest we experience.
I pray that if you are weary and burdened, you will go to Jesus today! Let Him take that heavy yoke off your back and then continue to learn from Him. He invites us to Come. Take. Learn.
Have a wonderful Sunday, friends!
I am not a cat person in any sense of the word, but I adore that picture!
And your thoughts on these verses … so, so good. Your thoughts on “learn from Me” being often overlooked are spot on. I tell my Sunday School ladies (probably far too often) that it’s hard to trust someone we don’t know — which is why it’s so important to get to know the Lord through spending quality time with Him. Thanks for sharing these important thoughts!
Yes, Mrs. T! I feel like the message we often hear is “Go give your burdens to Christ and then be on your merry way, like you’re all rested and good to go now”. But we miss that last part that’s just as important. Thank you for your input! I have a feeling I would enjoy sitting in your Sunday School class!