come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest
Being still and resting is a command in the Bible.”Be still and know that I am God” It might be taboo and shameful in the world to be doing nothing, to have nothing… but nothing is a gift from God. I have learnt that lesson personally. When you have nothing, you really have everything important. You have the gifts that are overlooked and yet are the most valuable. Jesus often went on his own for times of isolation and introspection when he was on earth. He spent much time alone. He had nothing. He was misunderstood, despised and rejected.
Something wonderful about Jesus is not once did He take the insults and hatred personally. He knew who He was, He didn't need people to validate Him. That's really hard for humans. Well at least for me. When people are believing wrong things about me I take it to heart and I let it become my perception of myself even if it isn't true. God knows this and He knows that when we are living like this we often become weary and heavy laden.
True rest comes from God. He alone can still your wandering soul and bring rest to your anxious mind because He speaks the truth and the truth is what sets our souls free of those heavy yokes. When peoples opinions of you and your anxious thoughts start to get too loud, get alone with God. He will give your heart the rest it needs.
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
I have found that getting alone with God is what keeps me alive. I cannot breathe if I am on my own, left to my own wisdom and my own thoughts. When it feels like you’re losing yourself, come to God, He will remind you that He has not let you go. He will remind you of who you are because unlike people He sees your heart, He sees the truth about who you are. When people despise you, misunderstand you, abandon you and make you question who you are, be still with God. It can be tempting to go out there and try to prove yourself but at what cost? You will find yourself weary, heavily burdened and lost.
Rest in the truth. Let the truth comfort your heart, stir you up in faith and hope and bring strength to your body. The truth about who God is and the truth about who you are in God. Rest in that.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
“Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for — believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”
- Matthew 11:28
- Psalm 46:10
- Jeremiah 33:3
- Hebrews 4:12
- Mark 11:22-25