Sep 19, 2012
“Come To Me All Who Are Weary” (How Jesus Gives Rest)
Weary and heavy-laden
I’ve been there. You have, too.
You have too much on your plate — and feel overwhelmed.
You face impossible problems — and feel hopeless.
You’ve experienced setbacks, disappointments, discouragements — and are exhausted.
Weary and heavy-laden.
What do we usually do?
- There’s NCIS on TV.
- There’s calling someone and complaining.
- There’s pumping yourself up with positive self-talk.
- There’s finding something comforting in the fridge.
- And of course there’s always pity-parties.
But why not listen to Jesus?
Matthew 11:28-29
Every time we feel weary and heavy-laden, Jesus says —
Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28 NASV)
This is a promise for ALL who are weary and heavy laden.
That includes me. And you.
But to avoid having this promise become an empty cliche — let’s dig deeper.
What rest does Jesus promise?
Notice — this rest comes from taking His yoke and learning from Him —
Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and LEARN from Me. (Matt 11:28)
So the yoke is a picture of learning from Jesus.
Learning what?
What will Jesus teach us that will bring us rest?
Read what Jesus said right before his invitation to the weary —
… no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matt 11:27)
Sin blinds us to knowledge of God the Father. But in great mercy, through the Cross and the Spirit — Jesus reveals the Father to us.
Then in v.28 Jesus continues the theme of us learning from Him —
Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me. (Matt 11:28)
What will we learn from Jesus? It’s what He said in v.27 — He will reveal the Father to us.
Jesus gives us rest by revealing the Father to us.
How does this give rest?
Imagine carrying a 100-pound backpack on a dirt road stretching up a steep mountain for miles.
You are trudging along looking at your feet, watching the sweat drip off your nose into the dust.
Weary and heavy-laden.
But imagine that you hear someone shouting —
Excuse me! Look up! Look ahead!
And as you look up the road you see a jeep in front of you — with someone inviting you to hop in so they can drive you to the top.
Changes everything.
Weariness disappears. Strength rises. You feel rest.
That’s what Jesus does
Jesus overcomes our weariness by showing us the Father.
We are weary with too much to do — but Jesus shows us that the Father will give us the grace to do whatever He calls us to do (2Cor 9:8).
We face tough decisions — but Jesus shows us that the Father will give us all the wisdom we need for every decision we face (James 1;5).
We are exhausted by setbacks — but Jesus shows us the Father’s all-satisfying presence (Psa 63:5-6) — and that He has had a wise and loving purpose for every setback (Jer 29:11).
But how does Jesus do this?
In v.27 Jesus said He “reveals” the Father to us.
That word shows this involves a supernatural, Holy-Spirit, heart-changing work.
So how do we experience this?
Here is what I’ve found helpful —
- Come to Jesus just as I am — in my weariness and discouragement — and trust that He will help me.
- Confess to Him that I’m not seeing the Father’s love, promises, goodness — all I’m seeing is my problems.
- Ask Jesus to reveal the Father to me — to do His supernatural, Holy-Spirit, heart-changing work in me.
- Pray over specific verses showing who the Father is — like 2Cor 9:8; James 1:5; Phil 4:13; Phil 4:19; Psa 50:15.
- Keep praying over those verses — and asking for Jesus’ heart-changing work — until I feel my faith rise and I see and feel and trust all that the Father promises to be to me — and I feel rest coming upon me.
Rest — guaranteed
I don’t want to sound flippant. But it’s true.
We never again need to lack rest.
Because — if we will come to Jesus and have Him reveal the Father to us — we will always find the rest we need.
He promises.
Thoughts? Feedback? Comments?
I’d love to hear them — leave a reply below. Thanks.
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And here’s some related posts you might find helpful —
Promises for overcoming procrastinationDon't settle for just knowing the truth -- FEEL the truth (a 4-min video)How To Strengthen Your Faith
(Picture is from everystockphoto by mzacha.)
Thank you! After yesterday, the perfect word for today.
Glad to hear it, Bruce. Thanks for the encouragement — it’s always a joy to hear from you.
Another thing that helps me – which follows from your thoughts, too – is to just stop “trying.”. I’m usually tired because I’ve been working really hard in my own strength. Exhaustion is a good reminder that when we stop striving,, God will fight for us (e.g., Ex 14:14).
Great word for me to read after this past week!
So what about that heavy-laden weariness that comes from a straight-up demonic attack? It doesn’t really fall into your other categories but I think it’s more prevalent then we like to acknowledge in today’s “politically correct” churches (who cringe at the idea of preaching about spiritual warfare).
We know that Satan doesn’t want us to achieve anything good with our lives and although I believe his resources are limited, he will choose specific times to throw everything he’s got at us. But just like your other examples, the response to a weariness from oppression is the same process — we seek Jesus in our Word and through prayer. To put the icing on the cake, we rebuke the attack itself and rejoice that the Devil has to flee when we do.
It’s a great word. It really helped me a lot, especially right now that I have a problem. Sometimes God is giving us problems to remember Him and to focus more on necessary things. I believe in God and having my FAITH in Him completely.
Guys I need prayers. My problem is too personal so I can’t share it but I believe that God knows what’s in our hearts.
Thank you so much and God bless us.
Hi Karen,
Thank you for sharing your need. I’m so glad you found this post helpful — and will pray right now.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
I don’t know. I’m a single parent with M.E.,bipolar, constant pain & illness, I’ve been aspergers all my life so even after healing I struggle to make sense of everything. I’m raising two children alone, one of whom is autistic & profoundly learning disabled. I never stop leaning on him day & night, day and night – he is the only reason, the only reason we got so far…but I’m tired to the bone, the tiredness never ends, it’s right inside. Is it wrong to give up & say you need more?!I need more. My kids need more. We can’t live like this. I pray more rest than I can handle enters my life real soon. Sometimes it feels like the only rest I’m ever gonna get is in heaven.
Thank you for sharing your story, Lorraine. And you raise some important questions.
There is an important sense in which we will not find rest until heaven — rest from physical problems, emotional battles, and spiritual temptations.
But we will also have times in this life when God provides outpourings of His Spirit as we pray over His promises. This can bring genuine joy, peace, hope, and fulness in Christ Himself — and provides rest in the midst of the battles.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
Lorraine,
I realize this was written quite a while ago, so don’t know if you’ll see my reply.
I belong to a very loving and caring church. What I’ve experienced for myself and for others in the church is the support that comes when we share our troubles with our christian family. I hope that you have a church like that, where you can turn for love, help, support and encouragement. If not, my prayers are with your that God will guide you to one.
God bless.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts
and feelings on JESUS’S words. Thanks again. x
i am a brother and i trust god but sense i become born again things dnt go well like i lost many things and i think that things doesnt work for me
trusting God is a key and becoming Born again is a must
Brother if you are still out there, don’t give up & don’t give up on Christ. He hasn’t – and will never – give up on you. I pray He leads you & that you know you are loved & approved of & can handle anything that comes your way, thru Him. He is your Abba. This world is so temporary. When you gave your life to Him, you gained eternity & security & true riches this world can never offer. I also imagine there is a high calling on your life to be faithful & run the race. You may be a leader of some sort. Abide in Him, so you can lead well. My prayers are with you at this moment, and everyone & thing concerning you
Karen, God doesn’t give us problems. That’s in the job description of Satan. God will allow problems to teach us to mature and grow up spiritually for our own good so we can eat spiritual meat and not stay in diapers and endure only milk. Please look at Matthew 7:9 and Luke 11:13. Do you really think if you asked a good earthly father for bread he’d give you a stone? How much better your heavenly Father will treat you! God is good ALL THE TIME. God is in charge. He isn’t in control. If He were in control THEN you could blame Him for all bad things that happen. We have to open our mouths and agree with God. If we don’t know the promises God has given us we can’t ask properly and then we have problems. He works hand in hand with us and we get what we say! It’s a spiritual law.
Hi Debbie,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with Karen.
But I do not think it is helpful, or biblical, to say that if we speak God’s promises, we will always get what we say.
The reason I say that is because of what happened when Paul prayed that God would remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12). Three times Paul prayed earnestly, and God chose not to remove it, because in this case Paul would experience even more of God’s grace and strength than if the thorn had been removed.
There are times when God purposefully allows trials to come into our lives because through the trial we will have the even greater joy of knowing Christ more deeply. That’s what I see taught in Romans 5, James 1, and 1 Peter 1.
But again, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
I was heavy hearted and after Ijust finished praying to God to give me rest – I found your article. I’m amazed at God’s ways of answering our prayers. I’m now carrying his light yoke. Great article God bless you!
I woke up at 2:00 a.m. this morning and I heard the Spirit of the Lord say to me, Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.” I came straight to my computer and I found this. I believe it was not only for me; but for all those whom I loved dearly on this earth. I decided then I would pass it on to all my face book friends and to all my family and dear friends.
Thank you,
PS. I believe God did a supernatural thing tonight when I came upon you site. I praise God with all my heart, with all my mind and with all my strength.
Thankyou so much, was drawn to Matthew 11 .25 this morning and your clarification was just what I needed
You are so welcome!
I totally believe that by saying ‘oh sacred heart of Jesus I place all my trust in thee’ that I am releived of my problems and he will show me the best way through them. I am glad you explained the ‘come to me’ passage as I have heard it over and over recently but not fully understood. Jesus shows us the Father by example, ie by fully accepting the will of God, even to the point of death. That is what we are called to do and not try to solve everything by our own will as this is what causes the heavy laden feeling.
Thank you so much for sharing this post…It was everything I needed and so much more this morning.
God Bless!
Kim
You are so welcome, Kim. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
Your message is timeless. It obviously was written in 2012 but today in 2015, it was right on time for me and was the perfect affirmation to my situation. By letting go and letting God, the Spirit that was quashed by my self-will, can come alive again in Christ. Thank you for the insightful message.
Been praying, asking God to come to me, take my burden and to give me rest from all these difficulties, but nothing happens. I don’t know what to believe anymore.
I am so sorry for your struggles, Vira. All I know is that God is faithful, and that he will answer you in his perfect way and perfect time.
Don’t give up. Keep trusting. I will pray for you right now.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
yes, it was two years ago that you wrote this hope you’re still alive; continue to do so for God’s delays are not His denials. keep praying and join with some prayer partners and let them pray with you too. Be faithful that God has answers to all your prayer requests.
Thank you Steve for you prayers for all who find themselves in trials of some kind. Your tender heart shows through all you write. We are so thankful to find a church that has this same type of shepherding, temperament, and transparency that you display on your site. I pray that HE goes before you in all that you do and continues to protects you.
In Christ I pray.
Blessings,
Kay
Thank you Steve for your kind words and for the prayers. I know I have been weak with all these trials, I supposed this is God’s way of reminding me of him. One thing why I am still here is that I feel as though there is someone whispering in my ears to keep on hoping, believing and because of the difficulties I tried to ignore it and blame it back to Him. Do you think these ” whispering thing” I kept on hearing on my mind is God’s way of letting me know that He is with me and I just need to wait for His right time? or I am making an imaginary way out?
Vira
Thank you Steve for fully explaining the passage “come to me all who are weary and heavy laden”. I’ve heard the verse so many times but have never quite understood how Jesus meant we were to know The Father. Thank you also for giving us the encouraging verses that reminds us who our Heavenly Father is and how ready He is to carry our burdens if only we surrender it all to Him. God bless you and all you do.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! God is good!
Years from your original blog, and STILL was led to it TODAY. Thank you for the reminder.
Message to Vira. I know how you feel. If you’re still feeling that way it’s ok, just don’t ever give up! Keep praying and seeking the truth in His word. I have been right where you are, many of us have. This is one of the reasons God sent Jesus to us! Romans 10:17
People, please read the WHOLE VERSE. “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Thank you for your comment, Josh.
Could you help us by pointing out what you especially want us to notice from the whole verse, and how this will help us?
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
I am experiencing this in my own life. I have made it a priority to spend time with God first thing everyday. This was hard for me because my life is very demanding, so adding one more thing on my plate did not seem like it could possibly help me. But what I’ve discovered is that by doing this, everything else I do has become easier. I am less stressed, filled with peace, and better equipped to meet the demands of my life. I have found the rest I was needing!
Please pray for me as I have lots of anxiety and worry….I am stressed out. Need God’s peace. Thanks to all who will pray for me.
Thank you so much for such a clear and concise post that is to the point and easy to understand. It certainly answered some lingering questions for me! The daily devotional book I am reading now has mentioned, “Come to Me and rest”, as well as using the word “relax”, on several different occasions and days. Your explanation helped clear things up for me. Thanks very much, and God bless you!!
Thank you for this lovely explanation . I was searching for help in every possible book except the One Book I am supposed to read . I have just started reading The Bible and of course t here are many things I do not understand , like the passage you have provided the explanation for . Though I still don’t follow quiet a few things , I think it is a good start.
Thnk u so much for the summary my heart was very troubled. aftr asking God to carry my prblms coz this is not my battle,thus where i get this versTHNK U MAN OF GOD
Thank you. This has helped me to understand more in depth of this great promise that God has given us. That He is our refuge and our rest, thank you Steve God bless you and your blog.
Thank you Steve. Just what I needed to hear. Had had Matthew 11;28 on my mind, after feeling so weighed down by everything, and it’s like falling down into Jesus’s loving arms and snuggling up to Him. He’s carrying me.he’ll bring me through as i rest in Him.
You are so welcome, Veronica.
Thank you for this explanation. I am 60 years old, recently laid-off from work with no severance, I have two kids in college, and alimony payments to an Ex who is not a believer. I struggled to understand how I am to find rest in this time of stress, which is more than I can handle. Phil 4:19 was encouraging.
Thank you for posting your blog. It maybe dated but it helped me with my depression. I hope to find my way out. Thank you again
All is need now is prayer,i really need forgiveness
i need rest
Lord please give me rest
have mercy
i cant do it alone
Father have mercy