His Promised Rest

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

A pastor took some members of his congregation to New Orleans to help people whose homes had been flooded and their community ruined. Everywhere they saw devastation. On Sunday morning as he looked out on the faces of the dwindling group of people who hadn’t left the city after the hurricane, he saw loss, grief, weariness, and despair. Many had been displaced and lost almost everything. These people carried tremendously heavy burdens.

But then on the way home, the pastor thought about those in his own church and realized that though his congregation was in a suburban area, they weren’t that different from the folks in New Orleans. His church family, too, staggered into church, flooded by emotional hurts and spiritual pain. They hobbled in, displaced, sin sick, tired and worn, carrying heavy burdens—some that nobody else on earth knew about.

We all carry heavy burdens. But Jesus says, “Come to me, my children, come to me. I know that you’ve been carrying a heavy load, the weight of your pain, the burden of your sins, the load of all your worries. Here. Come here. I will give you a rest.”

Blessed be the Lord! The pastor was exactly right, for each day, no matter how stressed we are, “He carries us in his arms” (Psalm 68:19).

Surely Christ’s invitation to help carry our burdens is one of the most precious promises in the Bible. Whether you’re a heartbroken mom with a son serving time in jail, your mother or sister has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, you have marital conflicts, or carry other heavy loads, Jesus means this promise for you. Come to him, and he will give you rest.

What a matchless promise that you, Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, would daily help us carry our burdens. In your infinite care you carried the burden of our sin on yourself on the cross. I thank you and praise you for your great compassion. May my lips sing your praises forever!

The grace of God is given when we are yoked to Jesus and share his burden to love and care for others.

John J. Parsons, contemporary American teacher and writer