“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,”

— Matthew 11:28

It is wonderful to receive an invitation. An invitation means that we are considered special in some way by the person who invites us. It means that the person inviting us has a blessing to give. Jesus has a blessing in mind for you: the blessing of rest. He offers a heart that is freed from the anxieties of life, the pressure to perform, the fears that haunt us, the burdens that weigh us down and steal our joy.

What do you do with your tired soul? Where do you run to find rest? Or should I say, where do you stagger and stumble to find refreshment? Sometimes the legs of our souls can hardly carry us to the oasis that we seek. Elijah, exhausted from his fight for righteousness and fear for his life, fell in the wilderness, too exhausted to go on. He wished his life were over.

All around you are tired souls. You can see it in their eyes, the weariness, the lost hope, the absence of purpose, and sapped energy. Some have become wearied by doing right in the face of evil. We all have been burdened by our sin and need it lifted from us. The sins others have committed against us weigh us down. Some have become weary because of the relentless demands of life. Others are exhausted from unrealistic expectations that spring up from within themselves or from others. Still others are weary because they are working so hard to do God’s work for him. That work may be building their personal holiness, or it may be building his church. Both are exhausting if attempted with one’s own resources. Let me ask, are you weary? If so, why?

Whatever the cause of your weariness, I want you to know that you have mail. An invitation from Jesus awaits. It is an invitation to a rested heart. Reach out and take it. Your life will never be the same. No one encounters Jesus and remains the same.

Prayer Starter: Lord Jesus, thank you for inviting me to the place of rest.