And You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

This week I had the opportunity to travel with Christ Presbyterian Church of Oxford to RYM in Florida. It’s only day two and I can already see God is here and ready to move people. The theme of the camp this week is Abiding in Christ. Last night we talked about how if you are willing to obey and abide in Christ, he will give you rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-30 says,

“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.”

In the days these words were spoken, farmers used yokes to bind their oxen together, so yokes came to represent labor and submission. But the yoke Jesus is offering us is not burdensome. In fact, it is just the opposite. He is offering us refreshment and rest from the stresses of the world if only we would abide in Him!!

In all the chaos of our everyday lives, we are reminded to stop and pass our problems onto the Lord. He is the Only one who can take them away! In all honesty, I often catch myself going to my friends instead in search of someone or something to relieve my burdens. At my age, there is so much pressure, academically and socially, that people are often driven to make poor choices in regards to what they feel might give them rest. We repeatedly turn to tangible or secular things for fulfillment. Maybe it’s a social outing, like a high school party, or athletics, or maybe it’s drinking, or smoking, or bullying, or anything that people think may help them escape their own problems for “just a minute.” But the truth is that there is nothing in or of this world that can take our problems away.

All the pain, stress, fear, worry, agony, everything you care about, all of your burdens, you can lay them all down on the God who created everything and He will exchange your burdens for rest. The love He has for us is so unreal!

I think in terms of music, so I couldn’t help but think about that Casting Crowns song that says it perfectly:

“All who thirst will thirst no more,

All who search will find what their souls long for,

The world will try, but it can never fill

So leave it all behind, and come to the well”

(“The Well,” Casting Crowns)

The God of the universe cares that I’m weary. Jesus Christ, He with ALL authority, is offering you and me rest. In this crazy world that never stops moving, that is a beautiful and amazing thought.