CHARISSA CHEONG reflects on her struggle with turning to Jesus during times of weariness…
London, UK
PICTURE: Tiago Bandeira/Unsplash
“Come to me, all you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
Jesus promises to give us rest. If we come to Him.
So often, despite knowing better, I run to other outlets and comforts when I’m seeking a rest. Recently, I’ve been caring for a family member on top of working full-time, which has at times been exhausting. I’ve felt Jesus inviting me to sit at His feet and listen to Him with the little free time that I’ve had, but on many occasions, I’ve found myself preferring to lie down with a snack of choice and an episode of a show on my laptop.
“In Matthew 11:28, Jesus tells the weary and burdened to come to Him. He doesn’t tell us to come back after we’ve had a nap and are feeling more upbeat or after we’ve dealt with more things on our to-do lists. He says we can come right in the middle of the busyness and overwhelming exhaustion.”
Throughout my Christian life, I’ve heard people talk about how we can find true rest in Jesus. He is the One who restores our souls (Psalm 23:3, NKJV), and who replenishes us when we need it. And I really believe that.
At the same time, I think I’ve also believed a lie that I’m only acceptable before Jesus when I can make at least a bit of effort on my end. I’ve sometimes felt that I need to be sitting in the right posture or have some level of inner alertness to spend time with God and hear from Him. During moments where I’ve felt truly exhausted and haven’t wanted to sit upright in prayer, I’ve turned to empty distractions, when I know that what I actually needed was Jesus.
I have no idea how many other people out there might feel similarly to me – struggling to involve Jesus in our deepest feelings of tiredness, but I do pray that Jesus would reveal to all of us the truth about His heart for us in our fragile human states.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus tells the weary and burdened to come to Him. He doesn’t tell us to come back after we’ve had a nap and are feeling more upbeat or after we’ve dealt with more things on our to-do lists. He says we can come right in the middle of the busyness and overwhelming exhaustion. Jesus Himself, when He took on a human body and walked the earth, bowed in prayer in a moment where He was severely overwhelmed, while the disciples napped not too far away (Matthew 26:36-46).
I still believe that posture in prayer is important, and that choosing to stand or kneel or respond with movement and vivaciousness according to how the Spirit leads us can produce really powerful times in worship and prayer, but I’m also learning to believe that I can let my body relax in God’s presence when I need to, and that pleases Him too.
In moments where I’m feeling extremely tired, I try to resist the urge to run to my old comforts, and instead sit with Jesus – sometimes relaxing into my beanbag, and other times reading my Bible or playing some worship music while I sit comfortably in my bed. These moments haven’t particularly led to what I’d describe as mind-blowing encounters with the Lord, where I’m writing down a flurry of things He’s saying to me or feeling led to pray for a bunch of different things, but I’m aware that in just sitting like this I’m allowing Jesus to enter into my exhaustion, so He can give me the rest He promises. I would love to reach a point where I can more easily follow Jesus’ own example, coming to the Father in prayer even in the midst of feeling overwhelmed.
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It’s not been particularly easy for me to abandon distractions. I’ve still found myself wrestling with the urge to watch TV instead of spend time with the Lord, but I am slowly trying to learn how to prioritize true rest with Jesus over empty comforts, and I know Jesus will help me, because He so wants to give me the real rest that I need. Perhaps He’d even like to gift me with sleep in His presence, instead of me spending time binging shows, which has usually left me feeling more tired.
If you have been feeling exhausted and haven’t found true, satisfying rest, I’d like to invite You to try sitting with Jesus in a comfortable place, allowing Him to restore your soul in a way that only He can. If you’re not sure where to start or what being with Jesus in this way might like look like, I’d personally encourage you not to be too concerned.
Even though I don’t think I’ve figured out the best way to rest in the Lord’s presence quite yet, I do know He promises to provide rest and says that all we need to do is commit to that important step towards Him. Just come to Him, so He can do the rest.
