March 2, 2021
Deep-Into-Your-Bones Rest
Suzanne Eller
Today’s Truth
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29, NLT).
Friend to Friend
How tired are you?
I’m not talking about the kind of tired that a good nap can take care of. I’m talking about the kind of tired that happens deep in our soul.
Does Jesus understand that kind of unrest? He does.
In Matthew 11, Jesus is speaking to a crowd. It’s been an incredibly long and hard day. His life-giving message has not been received and Jesus is seeing humanity with all its flaws. He talks to the people about how they have resisted the good gift God is trying to give them. We can’t help but sense how challenging this is.
Then Jesus begins to talk directly to His Heavenly Father. The crowd is still in front of Him. As He prays, He reminds Himself that God is still sovereign. The mission God called Him to do will still unfold.
As we listen to Jesus, He shows us what it is to enter a safe place of rest (a refuge) with our Heavenly Father.
The day has not changed. The crowd is the same. All the frustrations are still there. Yet
something spectacular happens. There’s a shift. Having found rest, Jesus now offers it to the crowd.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29, NLT).
What kind of rest is Jesus offering and what does this mean for us?
Jesus is offering spiritual rest that will not be found under the bed covers or a long afternoon of binging Netflix. It is the same rest He just received. The word rest in this invitation is anapausis. This describes deep rest that goes into the heart, thought life, and well-being of the one who receives it.
It’s rest that gives an intermission from the hard work of worry, uncertainty, and frustration. It’s rest from old wounds and new struggles. It’s rest from labor we place on ourselves and burdens placed on our hearts by others.
This isn’t rest from something. It’s rest in something. This rest syncs us with the heart and being of God.
Who doesn’t need this rest?
I don’t know about you, but I desperately need rest from the unrest in the world right now. The beautiful news is that you and I are invited to take our focus off of the crowd and hold up our hearts in the midst of real life, in the midst of a pandemic, and in the middle of unasked for and unforeseen circumstances.
This is rest that hold us, like a safe place in a wild storm. As we take our eyes off the crowd to receive it, something incredible takes place. We not only enter into that rest; we are in a position to turn to others and offer them rest too.
Let’s Pray
Dear Savior, you made an offer of rest that I often refuse. I press on. I try to fix it in my own power. I hide or isolate or pretend like it’s all okay. The truth is I’m exhausted of doing this on my own and if you are offering deep-into-my-spiritual-bones rest, I am holding up my heart, my thoughts, and my life to you to receive that gift. Thank you for not only carrying my burden but making room on the inside of me for joy and peace, and the ability to take a deep breath.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
- Jesus offers you rest right now, right where you are. What might be one thing that keeps you from receiving that gift?
- In what ways is your focus on the “crowd” keeping you from rest?
More from the Girlfriends
JoyKeeper is interactive all the way through, inviting you to reflect and dig deeper. JoyKeeper also contains a Bible study guide for group study, as well as 30 devotions to help you practice the truths in your own life.
© 2021 by Suzanne Eller. All rights reserved.
Originally published Tuesday, 02 March 2021.
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