Devotionals

---

“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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

When we think of the word weary, we think of being tired, but the definition of weary according to the Bible is “without strength, endurance, or spiritual resources”.
The word burdened means “bearing a heavy load, physically or spiritually”.

So when God says, “Come to Me, you who are weary and burdened, He means we can come to him with anything and everything in our lives.
When we are:
• Tired
• Exhausted
• Bogged down by worries and cares of this life
• Battling physical illness
• Fighting the devil’s attacks
• Struggling with sin
• Juggling the demands of this life
• We feel like we just can’t go on
• Or, our spiritual life feels dead

He says when we come to Him, He will give us rest. That doesn’t mean we can take a break or stop our labor. Instead the rest He promises is love, healing and peace.

Just like a yoke fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen to lead them, His yoke can lead us in the right direction so that we may learn from Him. Taking on a yoke also implies being united to another in order to work together. If we are yoked together, we must go in the same direction, but at the same time, our work becomes easier. When we decide to surrender our lives and submit our wills to Him, our burdens may not go away, but they become manageable.

For the last three months, I have endured some major trials and burdens. I have had serious family problems, (including the death of a family member who abused me as a child), got three tickets ($900.00 worth) on the way home from the funeral, I have battled financial difficulties, and I have been forced to leave the job I love to pursue something with more hours and better money….just to name a few!
I was so weary and burdened that I became angry and depressed and even quit coming to church. I very nearly allowed myself to fall back into some old sins.

Thank God for Christian friends who will pray for me and speak the truth in love.

Once I finally made the decision to surrender to God, my circumstance did not change, but my attitude did. I began to trust God no matter what. I began to go to Him with my burdens instead of grumbling, complaining and feeling sorry for myself. He gave me peace – the peace that transcends all understanding. The peace He gives causes us to be calm right in the middle of the storm…some people may think we are crazy, but it is such a testament to God when we can have peace, faith and strength in the midst of our trials.

Then once my heart was right, He began to change some of my circumstances in a way that only He could. As a result, He was able to receive the glory – not me or anyone else. I was able to draw closer to Him, my faith was strengthened and I was able to be a witness to others about the awesome-ness of God.

“We all wear a yoke around our shoulders; the trick is in finding the right master” (Arterburn/Stoop, The New Life Recovery Devotional)

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE