How is the memorizing going so far? 3 short phrases that can be fit together now:
Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
I’ve spent some time investigating rest, learning about it and, dare I say, practicing it. I’ve learned to appreciate the gift that rest is. I’m not talking about a weekend away from the routine; that’s more like a retreat. This verse is meant to take place in the everyday busy-ness we encounter.
There isn’t a mystery of interpretation to this phrase. But it is pregnant with meaning.
The word I is a personal pronoun attributed to the speaker, who in this case is Jesus.
Rest means what it says. Rest. Ceasing from activity.
Photo by Marko Kovic on Unsplash
Jesus will give you rest. He sees how busy we are. He knows how physically tired we can get. He knows what it feels like to be thirsty, in pain, lonely; whatever you are dealing with today. He knows.
And He will give you rest.
How you might ask? Is He going to come babysit? Or take care of my ailing parent? Or, or, or,…
You know by now that I am a context girl so stopping at this phrase without putting it together within the context is hard. I don’t want to run ahead to the weeks to come but I do want you to know, to become aware of, the comfort this sentence can bring.
Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.
It is an invitation.
If we slow our racing thoughts; if we slow our frantic pace; if we actively pause and look in His direction, He is waiting in the wings of our lives to give us that comfort & rest. A sigh. A deep breath. A slow exhale. Click To TweetMaybe you need to hide in the bathroom to make that rest happen. Perhaps it’s simply a pause of thought and action even as you read this post.
Jesus knows. He sees. He cares. He comforts.
He gives rest.
Let us know how you practice pushing the pause button in your days. We all need encouragement to find ways of practicing. Using that word is a reminder that we are all learners.
I highly recommend pushing pause daily.
I used to say it was hard to find time for resting in His presence. Now I know that time doesn’t need to be found; it’s there in front of me every day, 24/7. I don’t need to find it- I need to set some of it aside purposefully. Lately, I have started taking an evening walk. After dinner, I lace up my shoes and head out on a loop around my neighborhood. I would typically listen to music while doing this, but recently I discovered that I kind of like the silence. Sometimes I pray, but more often than not, I simply take in the scenery around me and spend quiet moments (well, except for my labored breathing on a couple of steep hills)… It’s been so refreshing to my body and soul!
What a lovely way to end the day; refreshing your body, mind & soul! You have such wonderful natural beauty surrounding your neighborhood to stroll through in silence,too. Glad you’ve discovered the quiet, too. I hope you continue to set aside that time purposefully. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Penny!