Pastor Travis Burkett
Have you ever seen someone running, riding, or skiing too fast, and can’t slow down before it was too late? (It’s pretty hilarious to watch!)
In the Bible, there are many instances where Jesus showed us what it’s like to slow down and hear from God. Jesus was able to do life while also having healthy relationships with those around Him. The heart behind this devotion is to remind us of our need to slow down and hear/trust God.
Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
This is a simple promise, “Come unto me.” This promise is both striking and refreshing. Jesus is offering Himself as the solution to the burdens that we carry. The question is, what does this coming to Jesus mean? When we read the context of this promise (Matthew 11-12), it becomes clear. Jesus is rebuking those that had seen His work but refused to believe on His name. Jesus was calling them to believe in who HE claimed to be. Oftentimes, we want to know what’s going on in life, but rather than trusting God, we attempt to figure out the solutions to our problems. Jesus is calling us to trust in the security that He is there. (1 Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3:5). There are times when we don’t need answers, what we need is to slow down and trust God.
Someone once said, “Our souls only find rest in hope.” Aren’t you thankful that as Christians, we have hope! We don’t need temporary solutions, we have the hope and promise of Heaven! We can find rest in the fact that God is our refuge (Psalm 62:5-7).
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.” Contextually, a yoke is placed on an animal in order to do work. Is Jesus offering us work or rest? Jesus answered the question in John 6:29: Jesus is calling us to believe and abide. He is calling us to live out our faith by trusting in God. Before salvation, we carried an unbearable yoke (sin), and Christ has covered it at the cross! Today we must realize, no matter the uncertainty that we currently carry, we can find rest and comfort in understanding that we can place our confidence in Christ.
My prayer is that we will take a few minutes and ask God to give us strength to slow down and learn to trust God more today.