MATTHEW 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

TO PONDER

Have you ever been tired, I mean really tired. So tired you can’t keep your eyes open and you’re not sure if you could even make the short walk to your couch or bed. I am sure most of us have felt like this at least once in our lives. Maybe we have had a particularly busy week with work and family and other commitments, and come Friday evening you are exhausted, or perhaps you have completed a ‘good’ workout or other physical exercise and every muscle in your body aches. You are tired, exhausted and weary and you want a rest. Perhaps you can’t relate to this form of exhaustion, but you have felt the weight and burden of the world and all its struggles and pulls. It feels like each day you are going through life with weights strapped to your legs, making each movement an effort. We can bring these feelings to Jesus. He understands what it means to feel burdened. As he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing the road set before him, he explained His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. He understands your burden, but more than this, He promises to take it upon himself and replace it with his good, perfect and complete rest. So, if you are burdened today with the weight of your life, bring it to Jesus and receive rest.

PRAYER: Jesus, as you prepared to go to the cross, you felt the full weight of the task set before you. As I walk into this day I also feel burdened and overwhelmed. Help me to stop striving, to stop ploughing through in my own strength, and instead to turn to you,and receive your perfect rest, Amen.

Today's devotion written by Elise von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle