* The Promise of Rest

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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV

We look forward to the weekend so we can sleep in a little. We work hard all week long and we just wanna rest a little. Rest for our bodies is easier to arrange than rest for our souls. Some of the longest nights we have are those nights when our minds won't shut down. If we could just learn to give it all to Jesus... Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone today - just today - say, I'm tired, I would have enough money to take you to dinner at a great place and leave a generous tip for the tired waiter or waitress. As a child, one of my favorite songs we sang in church was the old hymn, "Come Unto Me," written by Charles Jones, based on our Scripture text for today. It was on page 20 of the old green hymnal. I loved it because it was fast and I could play the tambourine, but when I got older, I loved it because of its message. There's something about the promise of rest.

Our text in The Message Bible reads, Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Doesn't that sound wonderful? It is! It is our Promise of Rest from Jesus... written in red.

Prayer:

Father,
           Creator of heaven and earth, teach us how to rest in You. Teach us the unforced rhythms of Your grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen