Come unto Me

If so, my friends, this is what Jesus lovingly offers to you today:

Are you tired? Worn out?

Burned out on religion?

Come to me.

Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.

I’ll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

Or… how about this translation of the same verse?

If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens,

come to me and I will give you rest.

Take the yoke I give you.

Put it on your shoulders and learn from me.

I am gentle and humble,

and you will find rest.

This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 (Contemporary English Version)

This is my favorite translation:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened,

and I will cause you to rest.

[I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me,

for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart,

and you will find rest

(relief and ease and refreshment and recreation

and blessed quiet) for your souls.

For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good–not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant),

and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

Matthew 11:28-30 (Amplified version)

The secret to battling weariness is in coming to Jesus, and giving over every heavy load we’ve been trying to carry. See, we weren’t meant to carry the load at all.

Back when these verses were written, the people understood something about yokes that most of us don’t know these days. The farmer would yoke the young and smaller ox with an older, more experienced, and larger one in order to train the younger one to walk beside and work with its partner. The older ox would carry the load of the yoke, and the younger one would walk beside it. If the young ox tried to turn to the left or right or stop or go without the farmer’s instruction, the yoke would catch its neck and it would fall back in line with the one carrying the burden. The young ox quickly learned not to try to go off on its own… and that the best place to stay is right next to the one carrying the load. In being yoked this way to the more experienced and trained ox, the young ox learned how to walk a straight path, submit to the farmer, and to work together to accomplish the farmer’s plans.

Matthew 11: 28-30 is a beautiful word picture to all of us who are exhausted, weary, and burdened from carrying the load of life all by ourselves. Jesus is the One who is Able to carry the burden of the yoke. We were not created to carry the burdens we assign ourselves.

We were created to stay close to Jesus, to let Jesus carry the load… and to learn to walk, fellowship, and work beside Him in peaceful obedience to the Father.

I know by experience and by His Mighty Word that we can trust Jesus to take care of us and each situation. We just need to come, trust, and obey Him as we wait and/or take the next step. If we will draw up close to Jesus, and stay connected to Him, He will carry the load. We will learn to walk a peaceful path beside Him (even if the terrain is rocky), and we will be doing what we were created to do – fellowshipping with and working with Jesus, to the Father’s glory!

Are you weary and exhausted and tired of carrying the burden by yourself?

“Come unto Me…and My burden is light and easy to be borne.”

Praying for each of you today~