Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
28 Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
These are
some of my favorite verses. They seem
appropriate for today, don’t you think?
We all need to find rest when we are weary from our daily labor. It is wonderful to know that God is willing
to take all our burdens and help us find time to rest. God has also commanded that we find, make and
take time to rest, in the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy.
We were able
to find time to rest and relax and have time with family today, but not all of
us…many who work in service jobs or retail outlets worked today. Hospitals never close, police and fire
fighters do not get holidays. It is nice
to have holidays sanctioned for time off, but we often forget those who cannot
take that break, and sometimes we need them to be working for our benefit.
This
message, to me, is about leaning on God when times are tough. It is God’s acknowledgement that we must work
(the fall from Eden required this) and that the work we do just plain tires us
out! Even those who love the work they
do need to rely on the strength of God to get through some days. The beauty is that we do not have to carry
the burdens life throws at us alone. We
have a source of strength when we trust in God.
When I am
weary, God, I come to you for strength.
I know that you are there to help me, to lighten my load and to lead me
to rest if only I ask. Even in those
times when I think I can go it alone, you find ways to remind me that I
cannot. That I need your support, that I
must rely on your strength to get through all the trials in life. But it is also important that I remember that
I can lean on your strength when life is going well. You support me in both good and bad times and
you teach me throughout all my life to trust in your presence. Thank you for giving me moments to rest my
head upon your strength. Amen.