Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
There are times in our lives where we feel like we are carrying the weight of the world. The pressure to do all that we are supposed to do can feel overwhelming. And yet, Scripture tells us that for the Christian that should not be the case. Because the Christian should be casting their cares on the Lord (I Peter 5:7) and trusting in His provision for all that is set before them.
But how does one do this? What seems like a beneficial concept can become difficult in practice. We know we are supposed to rely on God and yet we still feel the pressure for our responsibilities, our relationships, and our commitments.
In my experience, the way that we put this concept into practice is by heeding the first part of Matthew 11:28. Christ says to “come” to Him. So often when we feel the pressure of all that we are supposed to do, we haven’t even taken the time to pray. As a Christian, we often use prayer as our last resort, when it should be our first resource. Christ is able to do more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20), and when we come to Him with our burdens first, and prayerfully lay that at His feet, we can then exchange our feelings of pressure, for His promise of peace (Phil. 4:7).
Whatever God has set before you today, or this coming week, may you first come to Him with your cares and concerns. May you lay before Him your desires and your worries, and may His children have confidence that He is already working through those things to accomplish His good purposes (Rom. 8:28).