Come to Me and I will give you rest

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus gives us one of His greatest promises:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

What is the most amazing thing about this promise is that it is unconditional. Jesus doesn’t really care what the burden you are carrying is—bad relationship, financial worries, sickness, spiritual warfare, your children, problems at work or ministry—He is simply asking us to lay that burden and worry to His feet. He doesn’t even ask, if we are carrying the burden because we have inflicted it on ourself, or if the burden has been inflicted on by others.

But He is asking us for one thing—for Him to deal with that burden, you must be willing to learn from Him. This might sound like even a bigger burden than you are carrying, unless you know Jesus.

So, rather shockingly, most Christians are not initially willing to swap their yoke with the yoke Jesus is offering. But the problem is that He has not been called to follow you; you have been called to follow Him.

Many people come to Jesus and lay down their burden at the feet of Jesus, but as they don’t want to follow Him, they will end up picking their own yoke again.

The only way to have the light yoke Jesus is promising is to walk with Him in the direction He is heading.

That is why most Christians wait until the yoke they carry—including their attempt to follow Jesus with their own effort—becomes unbearable, until they humble themselves and lay their yoke at the feet of Jesus in despair.

I woke up this morning, realising that the yoke I am carrying today is far too heavy. I hope you have done the same. All the bills I have to pay, all the relationship difficulties we face in life, the ministry I am supposed to deliver, my own mistakes. The list is endless.

But then I heard the Lord whisper to me gently: Come and I will give you rest. And His offer is unconditional.

For the last few days, this song by David Brymer has really been blessing me. It reminds what Jesus has done for me.