Come to me, all you who are weary

Come to me, all you who are weary

Scripture:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light Matthew 11:28-30

Observation:

Today’s passage takes us to enjoy some of the most comforting words that Jesus spoke recorded in the Gospels. “Come to me”, Jesus calls. The image of Jesus sitting on a rock and calling little children to come to Him comes to mind. He welcomes us with all the love and tenderness and mercy of a loving mother towards her children.

Who does Jesus especially call? Those who are weary and burdened, those who are heavy-laden. In today’s hectic world, there has never been more people weary and burdened. Work commitments, family pressures, challenging deadlines and financial burdens has left many of us indeed very weary and heavy laden. Our Lord Jesus calls us, “Come to me. I will give you rest.” Many times, it is our souls which are restless, chasing after elusive dreams, yearning for fame, power, money, entertainment. At the end of it, we would only find it unfulfilling. Just come to Jesus and rest. Take one day at a time. Trust God one day at a time. Enjoy life moment by moment, thanking God for the little things which are actually more precious.

Interestingly, our Lord then says “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. What does the yoke have to do with rest? The image of the yoke is like that of the cow with a yoke on its back as it plows the field. It is hard work. So what does our Lord mean? Looking deeper into this, we realize that in fact, there is a special kind of rest in serving God. Our Lord’s rest does not entail us just lying down and doing nothing. Rather, it is in doing something that we enjoy and delight in.

What is it that we need to do? Jesus knows best. It is for us to learn from Him. He is gentle and humble in heart, the greatest teacher. It is for us to incline our ears to Him and ask Him “What is it Lord, that You would teach me? Help me understand.” In learning from the Lord and putting it into practice, we will find great meaning and refreshment in life. As we serve Him and listen to Him, we will find that indeed His yoke is easy and His burden is light for we work not from our own strength but in His power.

Application:

Some of us could be feeling very weary and burdened in our daily work routine. We might be feeling like we’re on the verge of a breakdown even. Take a moment to close your eyes, focus on Jesus, hearing Him say “Come”. Focus on His great love and tenderness and ask Him humbly to teach us. Receive His yoke in faith and then continue your work in faith. As we focus on Him and keep the awareness of His presence with us, even our daily work and routine no longer becomes cumbersome and drudgery but we will find that we are able to praise and worship even as we work. Even in the traffic jams, we can find the joy of the Lord. Even in the face of great difficulties and worries, we will have peace, knowing that we have a great Lord who will deliver us!

Prayer:

Praise thee, Lord Jesus, for calling us to come to You. Praise thee O Lord, for Your compassion on kindness on the weak and heavy laden. We bring our burdens before You O Lord, and place it at Your feet. Teach us, O Lord, let us know Your will. Guide us, and help us work, not with man’s yoke, but with Your yoke, which gives us strength. We entrust our hearts before You O Lord. All our worries we lay before You. O Lord, we praise thee, for You will deliver us and give us peace. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.