Rest

“Come unto Me, (Jesus speaking) all who labor and are weary, heavy laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to “REST.”  I will ease and refresh your souls.  Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble and you will find REST (relief and ease and refreshment and blessed quietness) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome, good, not harsh, hard, sharp or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant. My burden is light and easy to be borne.” Matthew 11:28-30   Amplified Bible

Bible REST is by definition when one ceases to become agitated or disturbed, but instead finds a place of quietness.  The Bible speaks of REST some 71 times. Notice that the scripture says, “Come to Me.” Notice the verse also says, “Learn of Me.”  So many times, we try to have rest for our anxious souls without coming to Jesus.  Some go to pills, alcohol, self- help books, busyness, or anything to occupy their troubled minds other than Jesus.  The verse also states that we not only are to come to the Lord , but we must learn of Him. I have found that the more I learn of my Lord the more I can trust that He will do exactly what His Word says. “ For all the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen.” 2 Corinthians 1:20

Then the scripture begins to talk about the yoke.  When the oxen of olden days were yoked together to do work, the older and trained oxen would be yoked with a younger more immature oxen so that older could teach the younger.  Jesus says that His yoke is especially made to fit us, to guide us and empower us as we do the work that He has assigned us here on earth.

When I was a little girl we lived on several acres of land. Every year my daddy planted a large garden.  We also owned an old mule to help with the plowing.  Daddy used to say, as he would harness the mule, that is was very important that the harness was properly fitted or it would rub sore places on the mule. Jesus is trying to tell us that if we will “Come to Him, learn of Him and be yoked together with Him,” He will give us REST (tranquility of mind) and refresh our souls.  No more hurts and sores in our soul trying to do things in our own strength and in our own way. Thank you Jesus……

Joy,

Phyllis