Devotional Morsel for the Day

"Rest for the Weary" by Betsy Childs


Does the phrase "rest for the weary" evoke in you feelings of longing? In our society, although our conveniences are always increasing, our obligations and worries seem to increase at least twice as fast. We may get adequate physical rest, but many find themselves with nowhere to go to find rest for their souls. Although our fast-paced lifestyles may add to our exhaustion, soul-weariness is symptomatic of a universal human need for rest. This need was just as prevalent in first-century Israel as it is today, and Jesus spoke to it. He said, "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).

The yoke is a puzzling metaphor. At first glance it sounds wholly unfitting to ask a weary person to take up a yoke and pull a load. We are already burdened; does coming to Jesus mean we will be asked to carry an even heavier load? To understand this metaphor, we must think about a yoke and the purpose it serves. A yoke is not merely a harness connecting an ox to its load; a yoke is a crossbeam that connects two oxen to the same load, distributing the weight between them. When Jesus invites us to take his yoke upon us, we do not lift it off his shoulders onto our own. On the contrary, we become yoked to Christ, pulling the load together.

Yet this still does not seem right. Jesus certainly does not need our help. It is we who need his help, for we cannot pull our load on our own. The truth is, when we yoke our selves to Jesus, he starts pulling the load that we have been trying to pull on our own. His strength is so great that what was heavy becomes light. When we yoke our selves to Jesus, we do not pull even half the load because his strength is infinite. What we learn from Jesus is how to keep in step with him as he pulls. I remember as a little child trying to "help" a taller, stronger adult move a piece of furniture. I lifted and felt the weight of the load, but soon it became light as it was lifted over my waist, raised by stronger arms. I still held on, determined to do my share of the lifting, but the most I could do was keep in stride with the one really moving the load. Jesus is taller and stronger than we are, and when we are yoked to him our burden becomes easy and light.

Yet, even when we have been yoked to Christ for a long time, it sometimes still feels like we are carrying all our own burdens. This is because when we start concentrating on the size of our burdens, we forget to keep in step with Christ and try to start pulling on our own. We trip up and the weight gets shifted back to our shoulders, though Jesus is always willing to lighten it again. It is our pride that drives us to pull our own load. God knows that this is our tendency, his Word commands us: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:6-7).

We have come to a point of full surrender when we are convinced that Jesus is not merely helping us; rather, he's actually pulling the whole load. Whether the burden is guilt, debt, problems with people, anxiety about the future, insecurity, or all of the above, we are meant to bring it to Jesus and consciously give it to him. As we continually allow him to carry the weight, we will find the rest he promises. If you are weary today, come; take his yoke upon you and learn from him, and you will find rest for your soul.



(Betsy Childs is former associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.)