Rest in Jesus

Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

This is an invitation from Christ that all those who are tired from heavy burdens, weariness, hardship of ceremonial laws, and arduous traditions are to come to Christ so He can set His church free from the yokes of labor that have been placed on them. Christ wants to introduce them to an easier way that takes away the shame and guilt and instead invites them to rest.

I called him Two-Phone Joe. The first time I met him, I was sitting at an outdoor table at my favorite coffee spot. He came out, cell phone pressed between shoulder and ear, talking a blue streak. He had a cup of coffee in one hand, a Coke in the other, and another phone on his belt. When he put his cup down to hang up, I said, "Man, you've got to relax a little!" And that's how my friendship got started with one of the most hyper guys I've ever known.

Joe and I talked often. Actually, Joe ranted and raved, and I mostly listened. Once, I was sitting at an inside table and he came in, assaulting his phone as usual. He talked, loud and angry, the whole time he ordered and then, after he sat down, he kept arguing for the whole coffee shop to hear. When he finally got off the phone, I said, "Joe, come here."

"What?" he barked, guardedly.

"Sit down here," I repeated.

"Why?" he asked, but he sat down.

"Joe, I don't know if anyone has ever done this for you before, but I am going to pray for you right now." Joe's eyes got big, and he looked at me like I was crazy. Before he could run, I just put my hand on his arm and quietly prayed for a few seconds, asking God to quiet Joe and to give him peace.

"Thank you," Joe said softly, and I wondered if that might have been the first holy moment in Joe's entire tumultuous life. [Lee Eclov, "Christ in a Coffee Shop," Trinity Magazine (Spring 2006), p. 15]

The world calls out to us that we must be perfect, that we must be successful, and that we must work as hard as we can to obtain what we want. Yet Jesus calls out to us and says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. I know there are some of you carrying difficult burdens so let me take a moment to pray for you.

Father, there are those reading these words that have the weight of the world on their shoulders. They are tired, weary and just plain exhausted. They have so many things on their plate they aren’t sure where to turn next. Father let them hear the call of Jesus saying come and I will give you rest. Let them feel Your peace, Your quiet, Your comfort and Your love. Show them the life they need to follow. In Jesus name, Amen.