Rest for the Weary

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

This was my kids’ scripture memory verse last week, and it has been on my mind since then. I think a lot about what it means to rest. With four kids aged 2 to 8 years, I don’t DO a lot of resting. But I do think about it!

I’ve wrestled with the idea of rest. Other people talk about taking a “sabbath,” and honestly, that is something that feels so out of reach at the moment. The work around me seems never ending. Maybe you feel that way too. And maybe, like me, you feel a little guilty, as if you’re missing some essential part of the Christian walk.

But when I think of these words from Jesus, I understand that he meant more about rest than taking a few hours’ break or even a whole day once a week. He meant more than rest from physical labor; he meant a condition of the soul- a rest that is found in knowing I am secure as a child of God.

This is where I find freedom in the idea of rest. I recently read a book about homeschooling that was recommended by a friend. The book is called Teaching from Rest, and in it the author says this:

“Restful learning is not throwing all care to the wind, eschewing worthy goals… Remember the account of creation—six days the Lord labored before he rested on the Sabbath. Rest, then, is not the absence of work or toil. It is the absence of anxiety or frenzy.”

She is writing to homeschooling parents, but this truth applies broadly, to all believers. Jesus wasn’t talking about a nap, and He wasn’t only talking about our eternal rest. There is a rest that Jesus has supplied for here and now, this very moment. It is rest from anxiety about the things I can’t do and don’t need to do.

The main thing I can’t do is earn right standing with God. I’m not able to live the holy life required by God, so I deserve his punishment. Instead, Jesus lived the perfect life, died in my place, and rose again. He has given me his righteousness, fulfilling all that God requires on my behalf, earning right standing with God for me. I could never do all that.

And there’s a whole host of other things I can’t do.
I can’t solve the problems of the world that weigh so heavily on me.
I can’t know or control what will happen to my children tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now.
I can’t prevent bad things from happening to myself or the ones I love.
I can’t save other people.
I can’t do more than one day’s work in one day.
I can’t always know exactly what I should do in a difficult situation.
I can’t control the outcome of this election. Heck, I’m not even sure I know what the “right” outcome would be! (Since I’m not God and all.)
The list goes on and on.

But when Jesus offers rest, He is saying I can lay those burdens down.

“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 11:29-30

This is amazingly good news. God wants us to rest in who He is.

I don’t have to be overwhelmed by the brokenness in the world, because God has a redemptive plan that He has been working since He created the world.
I don’t have to feel anxious about things I can’t control, because God is sovereign. He is in control, and because He is also good, wise and loving, I can trust Him.
I don’t have to be afraid that I have messed up too much to share the gospel with someone else, because their belief isn’t up to me. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. I can simply obey and trust God to work.
I don’t have to feel guilty at the end of the day when I didn’t finish my to do list and things are left undone, because my value isn’t found in the things I do. My position with God is secure in Christ, who He is and what He has done. I’m loved even when I fail.
I don’t have to fret when I don’t know exactly what to do, because God is gracious and merciful. He has given me His Spirit to guide and direct, and God is able to redeem even the wrong decisions I make.

This is soul rest. This should move us to worship and adoration of God for who He is, and how He has made this rest possible through Jesus.

And then we should live out of this soul rest, confidently trusting that God is working all around us. He holds all of creation, and our lives, in His hands. So we can remember and live in light of these truths:
God is great – so we don’t have to be in control.
God is glorious – so we don’t have to fear others.
God is good – so we don’t have to look elsewhere.
God is gracious – so we don’t have to prove ourselves.