Rest

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – Matthew 11.28-30

Rest.

Just reading that word brings out a certain yearning in our hearts, doesn’t it? Most of us are so busy and occupied with the ‘carking cares’ of this world that we would give anything for rest.

Most of Ireland was forced into a few days rest last week when we were hit with a major snowstorm. While many we super busy with emergency services and caring for others a lot of us every day people could not even get out of our homes. It was nice for those us that fortunate.

But life returned to normal. Our rests here are always temporary when they are based on our circumstances. We have a brief respite and then back to the busy-ness of life.

But Jesus offers a different kind of rest here. He offers a rest that is permanent and which does not depend on circumstance. The rest He offers is the rest that comes when there is turmoil all around us. It is the rest that starts now and carries on forever. It is the rest that He is in control and He knows what is coming next. It is a rest based on the fact that He is God and good and that He is loves and that He loves me. It is the rest that says ‘cast all your cares on Me because I care for you. It is that rest that says ‘yoke yourself to Me and let Me share the load.’

There is rest for the weary soul. Let’s rest in Him, no matter what may come our way. We can do that as we learn to know Him better and see His meekness and lowliness and the fact that His attitude is the only way to get through this mess we live in.