God wants you to know that He is ready to bring great relief, rest and refreshing for your souls.
Hebrews 4, tells us, God promised rest. Although He gave promise of His rest, many did not believe and did not enter. As a result of unbelief, God swore, “They shall not enter My rest.” The promise still remains that some may enter His rest.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus spoke about this rest and gave promise to everyone who comes to Him.
Matthew 11:28-29 AMP Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The word rest means to calm, comfort and refresh. This rest is God’s promised release from the pressures and tensions of life and the application of His peace. This rest is directly associated with the relief that is found in Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:9-10 NKJV There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
This verse reminds me of something Solomon wrote. He said, “I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.” (Sol 2:3)
We need to know that rest is God’s idea.
Almighty God is constantly watching over the weak and those who have no ability, strength, skill, resources or authority. He is the Creator of the ends of the earth, has all power, and never grows weary. Although God has all time, resources, strength, and authority, yet on the seventh day He took a day of rest.
You need to know that God is invested in the events of your life. He cares about your burdens, cares and labor. He is concerned when we grow weary. He has provided promised relief from the burdens and oppressive weight of sin, sickness and the powers of death. So, God provided rest for those who put their trust in Him. This rest is more than one day of rest a week.
The rest that He gives is found in Him.
Jesus gave a specific command for everyone to come to Him to find rest. Listen to those words again: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For anyone who has entered His rest has ceased from their own works…” Jesus gave specific promise to come to Him to find rest.
Matthew 11:28 AMP Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.
Isaiah caught a prophetic vision of this rest.
Isaiah 40:28-30 AMP Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength causing it to multiply and making it to abound. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;
Isaiah 40:31 NET But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.
There is special help for anyone who comes to the Lord and puts their trust and hope in Him.
The word “wait” indicates strong trust and reliance on the Lord for help. This special help is summed up in the word “rest.”
This promised rest is in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 11:28 AMP Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.
This is a definition of God’s provided rest for His people. In Jesus Christ, we find ease, relief and refreshing for our souls.
The possibilities of this depends on God’s faithfulness. When you are depleted and weary, God is still faithful. When you are heavy-laden and overburdened, God is still faithful.
To enter His rest, we must trust Christ enough to come to Him with all of our weariness and heavy load that has overburdened us.
It is one thing to have this weariness and heavy load, but it is another to bring your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. This kind of rest comes from full faith and trust that Jesus will help you.
No one else can help you with these things.
- No one but Jesus can take and bear away your sins and give you His righteousness.
- No one but Jesus can bring true relief from the oppressive and destructive attacks you face.
- No one but Jesus is a rock and fortress that covers and hides us from the activity of the wicked one.
- Only Jesus can relieve the burden and heaviness of your sins.
- Only Jesus gives hope and promise that reaches into eternity.
Listen to God’s promise about this.
Psalm 91:14 AMP Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never.
Think about that. God was making a covenant promise to anyone who sets their love upon Him. He is giving His promise to lift them up.
When Jesus was walking here on earth, He gave us the privilege to use His name.
Do you know and understand the Lord’s name? What does the name of Jesus mean?
- He is Savior, Deliverer, Healer, and King.
- He is Redeemer, Keeper, Shield, and Lord.
- He is Waymaker, Provider, Mighty God, and Intercessor.
- God said, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
- Do you know and understand the name of the Lord?
- Do you know His mercy, love and kindness?
- Do you trust and rely on Him?
- Do you know that He will never forsake you?
When you really know and understand His name, you are brought into action.
Psalm 91:15-16 AMP He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
Jesus is the source of our strength and relief. Refuse to go through weariness and heavy burdens without coming to the Lord to find rest, ease, relief and refreshing. He is the One who renews and refreshes our soul. He keeps us from giving up.He keeps us when we cannot carry on any more. He gives rest.
What are you going through that has made you weary and burdened?
- Have sins weighed you down?
- Are you facing oppression from sickness, personal weakness, or tests?
- Is the wicked one coming against you and buffeting your life?
- Have you reached a place where you feel like you cannot stand?
God has promised a place of rest for you.
Listen to these words from your loving Lord.
Matthew 11:28 NKJV Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
You can have confident trust in what He has said. Accept and believe His word above everything else that you see or know. You can trust the Lord.
- He will give you rest in the storm.
- He will shield you and give sweet relief in the fire and flood.
- His rest is for you in sickness and health.
- He will forgive your sin and cleanse your soul.
- He will give you new joy and gladness.
- He will give you rest.
