“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.” — Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

Beloved, are you waiting for the hour of your death to arrive to find rest for your soul? Or are you tired of looking for rest for your weary soul in everything and coming up short? Let me tell you, true rest in not found in death or in anything that is on earth. It’s not found in people, money, relationships, friendships, jobs or education.

The expression R.I.P (Rest in peace abbreviated) is typically used only for those who have passed away. We intentionally wish eternal rest and peace to people who have died and have been buried in the ground.

We don’t rest in peace once we are buried six feet deep in the ground covered by dirt. The rest and peace our soul needs from the burdens of life can only be found in Christ. “Come to me”, Jesus gives this invitation for us to go to Him and He assures us He will give us rest.

We don’t rest when we die! We rest when we cast our burdens on Christ and take His yoke upon ourselves.

Let’s go to Jesus to be set free from all that burdens and wearies us so we can run this race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1). Jesus can calm the chaos in our souls by speaking stillness into it. So, if you are weary, for whatever reason, accept Jesus’s initiation to rest in Him. Take His light yoke upon yourself by believing in Him and His power to carry you through this life.

I have learned that choosing to ‘rest in peace in the Lord’ could feel very risky and scary. That’s because we have been taught to rely on things that are visible rather than on an invisible being. But to truly rest in the Lord is to spurn this mentality and to let go of these lies in exchange for plunging oneself at the feet of God.

Every day we move and go searching for peace and happiness. We try to find them in worldly things. In the process, all we do is hurt ourselves, get filled with negative energy and feel depressed. If you’re full of worries, doubts, and fears, you will be drained of all your energy but if you just let God direct and handle your life and your problems, you will truly find rest in His arms.

By guest writer, Helen Mengistu 

God Loves You, Always & Forever!