Rest for the Weary

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'"
Matthew 11: 28-30

Are you weary and burdened? 
Are you physically, mentally or spiritually overworked? 

Do you want to run from everything?

Are you a slave to your own sin?

Our Master said, "I will give you rest."  He is not going to force this rest upon us, however.  We have an important part to play in this equation.  To better understand that part, let's look at the purpose of a yoke.

     A yoke is wooden harness that joins together a pair of animals, like oxen. A head yoke is secured directly behind the horns of the oxen, and the animals transfer their power to the yoke beam.  The yoke serves several purposes:  It helps to secure the animals in position, it prevents them from looking back, it helps the oxen to learn to operate together as a team, and it also corrects the oxen by pinching their ears when they misbehave.

 In this verse, He promises rest for our souls.  But He requires three things of us to receive that rest.

1. "Come to me" - We must seek the Lord first in our time of need.  Not our friends or family, or even professionals.  First seek Him.  Let Him show you who will be able to help you in your situation.
2. "Take my yoke upon you" - Looking at the definition of a yoke above, we are to secure ourselves together with Christ and transfer our power together with Him to the burden;  we are not to look back; and we are to operate together as a team.  We should also be aware of some "pinching" or correction if we start to stray off course.
3. "Let me teach you"- He already knows the solution to our problems.  He already knows the challenges that lie ahead.  Why wouldn't you want to hear what He wants to teach you?

The three calls to action above require relationship and time with our Savior.  It means we need to be in the Word, and it means we need to be in prayer.  In "Navigate Uncertainty" (http://faithmotivated.blogspot.com/2012/05/navigate-uncertainty.html) I discussed how to obtain guidance from the Lord, so I won't belabor that point again here.  But what I will mention is this:  In order to have that load of yours lightened, you must be obedient to the leading you receive.  If you fight the direction in which He is taking you, you will not receive rest.  You will struggle, and you will make your journey longer.

His desire is to walk with you through your burdens and to help carry the load.  When you take His yoke upon you, He promises love, healing, peace, and rest for your souls. 

"I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:5