Resting in Jesus…
Leaning Into Rest
We live in an exhausted world! So many people that I talk with express how tired they are. They say they are doing well - but are tired. For most, the tiredness isn’t necessarily physical. It is emotional and spiritual exhaustion. Our current society creates an atmosphere of exhaustion. There are two reasons for this, and they are related. Everything seems complicated! Everything is time-consuming these days. Nothing is simple anymore. The devices we use (cell phones, computers, “smart” whatever) eat up our time like a hungry dog. Think about it. What should be easy has become difficult! What should be mildly difficult is almost impossible!
Checking out at the grocery store is complicated.
Is the larger size, the better deal? Not always, so I have to check the price per ounce.
I’m going to buy Colgate toothpaste, but which one of the dozen varieties do I buy? Maybe I’ll buy Crest instead. But I still have the same problem. The choices wear me out!
Identity theft is so prevalent that I must have a different “strong” password for evry online account. And don’t get me started about Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
Talking to someone in “customer service” requires pressing multiple numbers and waiting for what seems like forever “for the next available representative.”
Do I “cut the cable” or not? And, if I do, which of the many streaming services do I use? When I want to find a new show or movie, it takes longer to find something that is actually worthwhile to watch than it takes to actually watch it!
Where do I get my news information? How can I make sure it is not “fake news” or severely biased?
I am getting exhausted just writing about this! Our myriad of choices is just one area of life that causes emotional and sensory overload. We cannot escape the influx of media in our lives. We are slaves to our smartphones and tablets. It seems we are moving through life at breakneck speed - even when we are sitting still.
So, how do we slow down and rest? How do we get off this merry-go-round? Jesus gives us an invitation to come to him in our exhaustion. He calls us to take on his yoke for his burden is light.
“Then 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 at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." — Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
Jesus uses an analogy of a yoke placed on animals’ necks so that they could be used for plowing fields and pulling wagons. He implies that we, as human beings, have a similar yoke, and it makes us weary carrying this heavy burden. We are living with “yokes around our necks!” They are just different than those in Jesus’ day. In His day, the yoke was representative of ordinary everyday life (plowing fields, carrying goods in wagons). In our day, our exhaustion is caused by just living. We have the yoke of employment, of family duties, of church responsibilities, of finding enough time for ____________. All in our crazy, complicated, time-hogging world.
So, what exactly is Jesus promising? He promises us that If we truly want rest, we take on a different kind of yoke - His. Now come on, Lord! I don’t need something else to complicate my life! But Jesus’ yoke doesn’t complicate our lives. His yoke is easy, and the burden we are to carry is light. However, there is a prerequisite for Jesus’ yoke being light! We must be submissive to Him.
Because we are fallen people, we push back against submission. As in the last line of the poem Invictus, we think, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” But we are not and never will be! God is sovereign, and he is the one who is always in control. As we become submissive to God, we begin living as he intended. He directs us along the right and easy path. The writer of Proverbs confirms that God will keep us on the right path if we are submissive to him.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. -Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG
So, how do we let God let God direct us along the right path - a restful path? We must slow down. We must sit in the presence of God. We must wait on God. When we do, we can hear God’s voice. We know the path that he desires we walk on. We know him - at a deeper, more intimate level.
There is also an interesting thing that happens. Our frustrations with life melt away. Our hurriedness slows down. Our stress level is lower. Our exhaustion is lifted, and we have more energy. We move “above” this world into his world. As the prophet Isaiah said,
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.
- Isaiah 40:31 MSG
So, let Jesus take the yoke of this crazy, mixed-up, complicated, challenging world off your shoulders and replace it with his yoke. He wants to give you rest for your soul. And He will never say, “Please wait for the next available representative.” For through the presence of Holy Spirit he has already answered your call and is doing something about it.
May you continually walk in God’s presence, purpose, and power to live as he intended you to live!