Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
"Come to Me ... and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28a
This is one of the sweetest passages in the New Testament. It shows the willingness of the Lord to meet us at the point of our need. Kings and leaders are usually difficult to access. Jesus is not only willing, but invites us, to come to Him. Note how gracious the invitation is!
The weariness we have and the burdens we bear are not just the responsibilities of life.
We have the privilege of connecting with God through the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Law, Jesus Christ. In Christ, we have the embodiment of the Sabbath, the fulfillment of the Sabbath because in Christ we have found our rest! Consider these three aspects of rest we have in Christ:
First we receive the Sinner’s Rest when we receive salvation through faith in Christ. "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." – Psalm 62:1-2 What a magnificent blessing we receive when we Christ becomes our Savior! All of those heavy, discouraging burdens are lifted from our shoulders by Jesus when we fall at His feet and receive His love.
Second we have the Shepherd’s Rest secured in Christ. Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song." What a wonderful promise of peace or calmness which was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ!
Finally we have the Servant’s Rest in service with Christ. Mark 6:30-31 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and what they had taught. Then Jesus said, "Let’s get away from the crowds for a while and rest." There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. Where some would feel there was no time to rest, Jesus saw it as a necessity.
Christ will meet us at the point of our need and do what is best.
- • Sometimes He Will Remove Your Burden - There are times when the Lord changes your situation in an instant, removing your burden. He did this for the widow of Zarepath -
1 Kings 18 - • Sometimes He Will Relieve Your Burden - There are times when the Lord will leave the burden on your shoulders, but He will lighten the burden a little bit. He did this for Ruth when He allowed her path to cross that of Boaz. - Ruth 2-3.
- • Sometimes He Will Rest You In Your Burden - This is the most common aid we receive from Him. He gives us grace to carry the load we have been assigned. He changes us in our situation instead of just changing our situation. - 2 Corinthians 12:9.
As we serve God, our communion with Christ provides us the necessary rest required to continue our service. Even today Jesus is saying to you and me, “Come on, get away from demands of ministry for a while and rest.”
Scripture to Claim:
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9-10)
