What does rest actually mean? Sleeping-in, duvet day with a good book, walking in the open air or a holiday from work? The list could go on and on, couldn’t it? Even God took a break to show us that we too must rest from the bigger things. But we all know there is a completely different kind of rest. “Come to me all you who are weary, and I will give you rest”. A line from the Gospels even non-Christians know!
But what does that even mean? Do we understand what Jesus means when he says things like this, because he often spoke in parables and ways we often find difficult to unpack for today’s world. With so much going on in our frenetic world from social media to war how on this earth can we find rest in just one Man?
Easy! Each day before even putting your feet out of bed give yourself over to Him, try to surrender your day, your worries, your hopes and dreams. Jesus I surrender myself to you, please take care of everything. This is such a powerful and very short prayer. Complete surrender is something we are not keen to do eh! We all like to be in control of our own lives, but if you try it for just one day you will feel your shoulders lift and your heart become light. To completely rest in Jesus is like nothing else, His peace is unlike any other peace, it is not of this world. To rest in Him is to be in his presence, sit quietly and you may even hear Him.
Matthew’s passage carries on with “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for our souls”. By being in his presence it is a reminder that there is a difference between working for God instead of just being with Him. You could just sit in church or your front room, or even better in bed before you go to sleep and empty your mind. And just wait, wait on Him; try to shut out the noise of this world and learn to rest in Him who loves us, who sends His grace daily, who just wants us to be with Him.
Matthew’s passage on this subject starts with Jesus beckoning the little children and ending with those famous lines, so I would encourage you to read it, think about it, take it apart and put it together again to suit you. Rest in Him and invite Him into your weariness.
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