Rest

January 30, 2024

At this stage in my life, I am so grateful for Sunday School teachers who urged us to memorize Scripture when I was young. Our discipleship group begins each session reciting Psalm 103:1-8, but even though I’ve been working on it for over six months, I still can’t get it right. This old brain has more than a few synapses that don’t fire.

But the verses I learned sixty years ago are as clear to me as my own name, and are a deep well of wisdom and comfort in times of trial. This morning, these words of Jesus were like early morning dew on the parched meadow of my soul:  

”Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.“ —Matthew 11:28-30 

I won’t even apologize for the venerable King James Version; it’s how I learned it. Actually, I sing it to a tune written in the 60’s by John W. Peterson. When my heart is heavy and my spirit burdened, these words take me to the Fountain of Life, the never-ending springs of Living Water, Jesus himself. I don’t need advice; I don’t even need to know the next step; I need Jesus, for when I have him, there settles upon me a deep, soothing rest that I cannot explain, except to say, it’s here. 

Thank you, Lord, for the paradoxical truth that when I take your yoke, my burden gets lighter. Maybe it’s because you heft the greater part of the load. All I know is, when I pick up your yoke, I’m connected to you, and the way gets better.