Rest - that ever elusive ideal which far too many experience far too little of. We go on vacations, try to get to bed earlier (or sleep in a little on the weekend), find something mindless to do, or get together with "old shoe" friends. Yet, far too often, in spite of our best efforts, we find ourselves more tired than ever. Why is this so?
I believe we find the key to this dilemma in the words of Jesus Christ: "Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened down, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Kind of funny, isn't it, that for many people, one of the first things that is negotiable when they're trying to make room in their schedule for some rest is their attendance at church, Sunday school, or Bible study. Not that those are guarantees of rest, but they can really help us with what Jesus wants to make sure we don't miss in this verse (actually, you'll only really see His emphasis in the Greek language).
Let me type this verse out for you as it would appear in the Greek: "Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened down, and I will give you rest." Notice the difference? Both "me" and "I" are what we call emphatic. They mean, "pay special attention here." And if Jesus were to speak out loud to us right now, He'd emphasize the very same thing...maybe something like this:
"Hey! Don't work so hard to find rest. You're wasting your time to do all the other things you do in seeking rest if you're not coming to Me first. You're never going to find what you really need if you look everywhere else but to Me." Ok, so you get it, but how do we do this?
By taking time each and every day (morning is best, before the tyranny of the urgent kicks in), quieting ourselves, asking the Lord to speak to our hearts, and spending some time in His Holy Bible. I simply say to Him (following the example of Samuel in the Old Testament): "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Then I read, listen, and pray about what He shows me. I cannot tell you how many times this discipline has brought peace & rest to my spirit and life.
Needing some rest, are you? Go ahead and do all your other things (there's nothing wrong with them...usually); but first, take some time, even a few minutes, everyday, to spend with Him. Come unto Him and He will give you rest!
