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28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

 

Christians are not exempt from worry and anxiety. While giving in to these things is equivalent to doubting God, the Bible gives us a solid reason not to be affected by difficult circumstances.

In our previous blog, we were reminded that Jesus offers an amazing exchange: our exhausting burdens for His virtuous, loving Lordship.

Let’s wrap things up with our final point.

God offers peace to those who trust in Jesus.

The Lord provides peace from the hardship of trying to win God’s favor by personal merit. In context, Jesus is inviting Jews to exchange the heavy burden of legalism and worldly stress for spiritual rest that comes from Him. He uses the "yoke" analogy, which represents a shared load and service. The Lord's yoke symbolizes following Him and embracing His lifestyle, which is easy and light compared to the heavy demands of Judaism. He invites people to trade their burdens and sorrows for His joy and peace. 

The offer still stands today. Sin may be found enjoyable for a moment, but when guilt and shame begin to trouble our souls, it is no longer enjoyable. It makes us restless and unsettled. It takes away our peace, making us miserable and aimless.

Lest we forget, trying to find God through good works is another exhausting effort that leads to nothing. God is not some hidden treasure that we have to find. He has always been searchable. He invites us to come to Him, take His yoke, and learn from Him. This is a call to believe in Him, submit to His will, and be His disciple. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. 

Jesus does not say that the Christian life is going to be a bed of roses—or tulips. But He does say that if we obey Him out of love, then submission will not be an issue. When we love Him, obedience can be a source of joy rather than stress. More importantly, we will be at peace as we enjoy a loving relationship with God.

3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

If our faith is rooted in Christ, God extends His peace to us, allowing us to sleep well at night and face the future without fear because our eternity is safe in the Savior’s hands. 

If we truly trust Jesus, then there is no need to be restless because of a failing business, being terminally ill, or losing a loved one. We know that all things work together for our good, even when things look bad from our perspective. Because we trust in Christ, we know that He will take care of our souls. More importantly, we are at peace because we know that the Prince of Peace loves us.

Conclusion

In this blog series, we have learned that: 

  • God favors the childlike in faith.
  • God reveals Himself to all, but only those who come to Jesus in faith truly know Him personally.
  • God offers peace to those who trust in Jesus.

Pursue the Savior today!

 

 

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash