Rest for the Weary

March Devotions

Mar 10

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

God didn't leave one stone unturned when it came to providing for us. And this verse is no exception. God has provided rest for anyone feeling heavy and weary from life.

We often go through life trying to forge through on our own – like we have something to prove or get some kind of award for making it without any help. The fact is, however, If we get through our life alone, especially without the help of Jesus, we have actually come short of what could have been.

Jesus implores us to take His yoke and learn from Him. When a farmer wanted to train younger oxen, he would yoke him with bigger, stronger, and more knowledgeable oxen to learn from. Of course, the larger oxen take on the heavy load while the younger one pretty much goes through the motions.

Jesus wants to go through your life with you. When we are yoked to Him, He carries the heavy load that life often brings. He is close enough to talk to us and walk us through challenging situations.

This verse reminds me of the famous poem, "Footprints in the Sand." It goes like this:

One night I dreamed a dream.

As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,

You'd walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you."

Please know that Jesus will never leave you. He is with you every step of your life's journey. And it's in the hardest times that He will carry you and give you rest.

Dear Lord, thank You for walking beside me, taking the heavy loads of life, and providing your rest instead. Amen.

Check out these related blogs:

How to Live in Rest

Do You Need a Time-Out?

Rest For Your Soul