Rest

I've heard this verse a hundred times, but something struck me this morning. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Usually I think of this rest in terms of being relieved from stress, a break from work, peace, etc. 


But there's something deeper. 


Look at the whole thing in its context (Matthew 11):

 ²⁷ “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

   ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus said that no one can know the Father unless the Son reveals him to them. So my immediate plea is, "Lord, reveal him to me!" And right away, there's an answer. "Come to me." When Jesus invites us to come to him, he tells us that we will find rest for our souls. He's saying in essence that when we come to him, we can stop striving. We don't have to look for answers. We don't have to figure everything out. Christ is the source of revelation and he invites us to learn from him. What a gift! But it requires coming to him. 

There are many unknowns in mine and Mogi's life right now, but we are ever grateful that we can come to Christ and find rest. His will may seem mysterious, but he does want to reveal it to us. He desires that it be in the context of relationship.

May you find rest for your souls this new year as you continually come to Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...