Rest


Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29


Psychology tells us that our soul is the part which is made up of our mind, our will and our emotions. Jesus seems to be saying here that this is the area that we need to find rest. It is our mind that is the place where worry seats itself and affects our emotions – makes us depressed, discouraged, despairing, anxious, hopeless and so on. The will is the part that chooses – either to hold onto the anxious thoughts or to give them up.

Jesus knows that if the mind is burdened then the body will be affected – by tiredness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, overeating and any other number of things. We will either try to avoid facing our worries by pretending they are not there or we will try to find comfort for them – usually in the wrong way. That is why He offers us the wonderful alternative of coming to Him.

Farmers used to put a harness or yoke on the oxen so that they could pull the carts or farm implements together. The yoke shared the burden evenly across their shoulders. Jesus offers to share our burden – that’s what happens when we put His yoke on. When we choose to come to Jesus and become yoked together with Him, we are making a good choice and we can then experience the rest that he speaks of.

Think about your life right now. Is there a part of it that is not at rest. Will you choose to make the change and bring it to Jesus and allow Him to give you rest. The Bible says “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Psalm 94:19

Prayer: Lord Jesus I need to share my burdens with you rather than try to carry them by myself. Help me to recognise when I am ‘going it alone’ and remind me that You are there for me. I only need to make the choice to come to you. Amen