Rest

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Jesus promises to give us rest but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll all be getting a perfect eight hours of sleep each night! The rest that Jesus promises extends beyond just the physical. Yes, he is our sustainer in a physical sense, but he promises even greater, more life-giving rest.

During the time of Jesus’ ministry on earth, the Jewish people were heavily laden with religious legalism imposed by the Pharisees and religious leaders. The laws had been elaborated on and had become even more challenging to keep than they were originally, trickling all the way into the smallest details of everyday life.

The heavy enforcement of these man-made laws stripped away all room for compassion and mercy, and the people of the day would absolutely have felt the weight and burden of it all. It may have felt that the steadfast love and compassion of God that was sung of in the Psalms had become obsolete as they tried with everything they had to earn the favour of God.

But Jesus promised and provided rest. Jesus perfectly carried out every detail of the law. He died for us, he rose for us, he intercedes for us. Because of this, even in our hardest places, our souls can find their rest in him. The burden of the law and the punishment for breaking it is upon his shoulders and the freedom of salvation is on ours!

In every circumstance, let us look to Jesus and receive the rest that he has promised to give us!