Friday’s Devotion: Finding Rest for the Weary

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)  “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.”

I woke up at 9:00 this morning.  Thank goodness it’s my day off!  I rarely sleep this late at any time. This tells me that I was unusually tired after a busy week.  The world has become a faster place in which to live.  Communication is instantaneous; there is less down time waiting for things to happen – unless you’re in the check-out line at the local grocery store.  We can take care of work on our smart phones even while traveling or out to dinner.  Sometimes it feels like we are never “off.”  Jesus realized the need for rest and called others to rest with him.  Lent is a great time to increase the time we spend in prayer and meditation.  This can be a time of rest and rejuvenation as we release our burdens and revel in the love of our Savior.  I’m going to do that in a bit.  I might even relax so that I fall back asleep.

Gracious God, We are tired and stressed and anxious so much of the time.  Help us to slow down and rest and to find refreshment for mind, body and spirit.  We especially ask that you be with caretakers today.  Fill their cup so that it might overflow onto others.  In Christ’s name we pray.  Amen.

Thursday’s Devotion: Unplugging – Well, Maybe.

Matthew 11:28  Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

I love those words, “I will give you rest.”  It seems like life goes faster and faster.  I’ve learned that this is partly due to the explosion of information that bombards us each day.  Between entertainment media and our computers and smart phones we are exposed to more to think about than our ancestors could ever imagine.  When our brain gets tired, our body follows.  Every once in a while a friend posts that she is going to have an unplugged weekend.  That sounds restful or maybe a recipe for withdrawal symptoms!  Yet if we look at the first of this verse we see something interesting.  Jesus says, “Come to me.”  We don’t get the rest unless we first go to Jesus.  We can’t get to Jesus by watching TV or listening to playlists or checking Facebook or Tweeting.  We get to Jesus through genuine prayer, studying scriptures, and acts of kindness and mercy to others. Maybe we should all take some days when we unplug and accept Jesus invitation to come to him.

We are tired Lord of running in circles and being filled with useless facts. Help us to find quiet time when we can just focus on our relationship with the Divine.  Help us to find rest and peace. Amen.