“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, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).
The root of weary here is kapos, which means a beating of the breast with grief, sorrow, to labor, to cause one trouble, or make work for him.
How many of us are weary? Our lives are so full, so stressful, and so hurried we only feel troubled. There is no peace for the weary. We live in an exhausted world where the pace of our days has left many of us empty. But there is another way.
God Himself at the start of Creation set up a divine rhythm that included rest so we could not be consumed by our desire to create, produce, and accomplish. This life rhythm is called Sabbath, and it’s an invitation to make space to come rest and refuel in God’s presence.
In Genesis 2:3 we see that God rested from all His work He had done in creation. Why does an eternal and all-powerful being rest? He did it for us. He set the principle through his very own example to create and then we are to follow Him. Pause. Enjoy. Behold. Reflect. And live with peace.
Pause to Find Peace
“For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength. ‘But you were not willing’” (Isaiah 30:15-16).
Quietness and rest is where salvation, strength, and the voice of God can be found! What a countercultural idea. Let’s be honest about the phrase at the end of the passage, but you were not willing. This lands heavy on our hearts because it’s true. We often are so committed to being busy, stressing, doing, and living way past our God-given capacity that we refuse to create a life with holy pauses built into it.
How many times have we felt our mind, bodies, and relationships suffer because we failed to refuel in His quiet presence? As a mom I feel like this is a story I’m living out over and over. I see myself becoming overwhelmed, exhausted, and incapable of parenting with the grace I desire. Instead of stepping back, pausing, saying no to one more thing on the schedule, I press forward, dishonoring the body and mind God has given me. I am guilty. I am often unwilling to retreat in order to be filled with the strength I desperately need to do this life in a way that honors God.
Let’s reject the lie that more done means more value. The right things done at God’s pace is what leads to a peaceful life. G.K Chesterton says, “We cannot break the commandments of God, we can only break ourselves against them.” God commands us to rest because he knows that a hurried life is an anxious one. Pauses lead to peace.
3 Ways to Embrace God’s Easy Yoke and Live with Peace
Step one is to let go of our addiction to striving, achieving, and self-reliance. The Bible teaches that our value and provision comes from Christ alone. We must surrender to his yoke that teaches us how to live at God’s pace, following His voice because He is the author and finisher of our faith. Slowing down is a way that we display our trust in God, not in man (Psalm 20:7).
1. Daily Rhythm of Connecting with God
Practically, we can implement a daily rhythm of connecting with God. We should be a people that protect and nurture quiet spaces in our day where we can read the Bible and worship Him. This can look like listening to the Bible app on your morning commute, eating breakfast with worship music going to remind you that God is with you today, or just starting the day with a prayer that simply asks God for his new mercies for that day. It can be simple, but we must daily seek to know Him.
Studies have found that studying Scripture at least four days out of the week led to real life change. Those changes looked like breakthroughs, gaining wisdom, and character growth. Our daily practice of connecting with the Lord makes a real, positive difference in our lives.
2. Practice a Weekly Sabbath
We need a day where our souls and homes can connect in order to be refreshed. Maybe it is protecting your Sundays and making sure that your time spent after worshiping is intentional. On these unhurried, soul-filling days, do things that restore your body and connect you to God and others. Take a walk, work in the yard, watch a movie as a family, read a book, play a game, enjoy a slow meal, but whatever you do let it not be out of striving. Work and play peacefully in communion with your people and your God.
We were never made to work nonstop all week and then fill our weekends to the brim. So many of us are literally sick, our families are disconnected, and our relationships are shallow because we are living like we have no time for what actually matters. God honors our need to produce and create but his command to rest is a way to protect ourselves from an endless grind that glorifies our own ability instead of surrendering to God’s design.
3. Plan an Annual Retreat
Annually, take time to retreat for several days. Carve out several days for rest and recovery. This can be vacation, but not the frenzied kind of trips that leave us more exhausted than when we began. My favorite annual retreat is a winter beach trip solely because there isn’t too much to do at the beach during the winter other than to walk to behold God’s beauty and stay indoors together.
We enjoy puzzles, baking, books, movies, crafts, naps, sunsets, and games. Last year, the first afternoon at the beach I took a four-hour nap right after arrival! My body was entirely exhausted but immediately relieved to make it to a place I could retreat from the stress of our daily grind.
Remember, to know God we must be still (Psalm 46:10). That stillness is not only a chance to know God better, it is a protective measure for our lives. Rest protects our bodies from wearing out, our souls from burning out, and our Spirits from growing disconnected from God.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Mario Arango
Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God's Heart of Love for Mommas. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.