A Recipe for Rest

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  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 11:28-29

Aren’t some days heavier than others?  I love the ones that unfold easily and enjoyably, but unfortunately, today is not one of them.  Today feels like I’m slogging through two feet of mud carrying a hundred pound backpack.

I blame Facebook.  Before pouring my coffee, it sent me a prompt to wish my friend Alice a Happy Birthday.  I flipped my phone over to hide the screen, because I’m sure even Facebook hasn’t yet figured out how to deliver birthday wishes to heaven.

Then, before leaving the house to drive my daughter to school, I received an urgent prayer request for a family friend’s teenage son who is lying in the ICU, fighting for his life after complications from his lung transplant surgery. I shook my head to try and displace the thoughts of his family pacing the hospital floors, desperate for a miracle.

Two hours later, the phone rang and one of my dear Bible Study friend’s daughter was on the line. She got right to the point and told me that six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation were now absolutely essential for her mother to battle her fifth relapse of cancer.  She is the fourth woman in my Women’s Bible Study over the past two years to be fighting cancer.  We’ve already lost three battles.  We have to win this one!

My knees were wobbly.  My heart was aching.  I raised my white flag and called it quits and headed home.

At home, I could openly cry out to Jesus and say, “This is too much.  I miss Alice. I need her help here.  Why aren’t you answering my prayers?  I hate cancer!”

As the tears started, I remembered the passage in Matthew where Jesus says “take my yoke.”  That passage had confused me for a long time, but now I see clearly what Jesus wants us to do when our burdens are heavy. Jesus says…

• Come to me.  
• Link up with me.
• Learn from me.

When we do these three things; pour out our hearts to Jesus through prayer, draw strength from His closeness, and follow His ways, we experience Jesus up close and personally.  His presence is gentle. He listens to our heart’s cry. His power is strong and steadfast.  He longs to lightens our burdens and give us rest.  The kind of rest that our souls long for on heavy days.

When your day is hard and heavy, remember Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him, link up with Him, and learn from Him.  That is a three-part recipe for rest we all need for our souls.  

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