Have you ever been so busy, running here and there that you
got to the end of the day and could barely remember what you did? Maybe you’ve
gotten so busy with life that your worship time has fallen off. Perhaps you have
so much to do in your own life that you don’t have time for Kingdom work. It
could just be that you feel like you’ve given all you have to give and there’s
just nothing in your reserve tank. I don’t know what your particular story is
but today God is asking for your full attention. He wants to talk to the tired
folks!
I challenge you to find your rest. It’s a personal rest
that comes only when you allow the Lord to give it to you. In Matthew 11:28 – 30, Christ encourages us to take his
yoke because it’s easy to bear. Sometimes we get so caught up in our struggle
to be strong that we miss the opportunities to just rest. “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.” The placement of this scripture is so
interesting because it comes after Jesus has rebuked a bunch of folks for being
unrepentant and nasty to both He and John the Baptist. Later, He thanks God in
prayer for giving revelation to the babes or the childlike and hiding it from
those that may think of themselves as wise. To me, the revelation is that no
matter what or who has worn you down, Jesus offers true rest. All of the weight
that you are attempting to carry is an unnecessary load. Christ is offering to
swap out your heavy burdens for a light one. Rest stop, please!
I love Isaiah 40. Its last verse is probably one of the most
used scriptures in the entire Bible. “But
those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not
faint.” (Isa. 40:31 NKJV) We all know that one, right? But go up a couple
of verses to 27 and see that it gives you a context for verse 31 that can help
you run on a bit longer. You see the
people were tired and wondering why it seemed like God didn’t see them and
their struggles and requests. Have you been there? Verses 28 – 31 give the answer. “O Jacob, how can you say
the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God
ignores your rights? Have you
never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never
grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and
strength to the powerless. Even
youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in
exhaustion. But those who
trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like
eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”(Isa. 40:27-31 NLT) You see God knows how hard you have worked. He
knows that you are struggling to get back to your joy and excitement but if you
just let Him, He can give new strength where you are weak and restore the pep
to your step. Rest stop, please!
It can be so easy to get caught up in the
busyness of life. Even when you are doing work for the Kingdom, frustration can
come and the feeling that you are the only one in the vineyard, working a long
shift! But God is the ultimate spa. You can make an appointment with Him and He
will refresh you like nothing else. I encourage you to cast your cares on Him
because He cares for you! (1 Pet. 5:7) God did not promise you an easy journey but He did
promise to be there for the whole trip. Don’t dwell in tiredness, rather take
on the burden of Christ which is light and allow Him to give you rest.
May God richly restore those of you that have
been running this race on all cylinders and are in need of a rest stop! AMEN….
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