21 Days of Prayer - Day 3: Find rest with the One who said, “Come to me.”
Helpful Links & Resources
Opening Prayer
Sleep (from The Valley of Vision prayer book)
Matthew 11:27-30
27 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 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.”
Notice
A yoke was a wooden frame for joining oxen to do the heavy lifting in a hard job. It formed the tractor of Jesus’ day to work the fields or haul a huge load. For the Jews of Jesus’ day, the law had been turned into a heavy burden, a crushing yoke, impossible to fulfill. Jesus offered a better way, walking with him by faith. He knew God the Father and the love of the Father, and he knew that to walk with God should give rest, not a crushing load.
Think about it
Are you tired? Life can be hard. From cancer to career, from romance to ridicule, from disappointment to delight, life is no picnic. In need of rest? Aren’t we all? Let Jesus take the weight off your shoulders. Let Christ lighten your load. He doesn’t promise all your problems will disappear; he does promise to walk with you through all of them — to be your Shepherd, Guide and Friend. And he has no plan to make religion a crushing yoke for you. Rather, he offers the joy of forgiveness, freedom and fellowship for life’s journey and then — his eternal kingdom. He welcomes you into his church, his family, his body and says, “Let me give you rest. Let me lighten your load. Let me lead you on the grand adventure of changing the world.”
One more thing
Perhaps you have found rest through trusting in Jesus Christ. But you know of others who are deeply burdened and in need of Jesus’ help. Write down a few names here and pray for them.
A prayer for rest
“Heavenly Father, I want the rest that comes from walking with Jesus. I need it. Please take the heavy load of all that makes my life hard and carry them for me (tell God what those things are, if you’d like to do so). And I pray not only for myself, but for others who feel the crushing burden of life weighing them down. (Mention those people by name here.) Thank you, Father, for the promise of rest. Thank you for shouldering my burdens for me. And thank you not only for rest today, but for the great promise of everlasting rest through Jesus Christ, amen.”
Pray the Psalms
Psalm 62: My Soul Waits for God Alone
Group Prayer
Seeking to step away and rest, trusting in the soverignty of God
Praying for the medical workers and support staff who are serving on the front lines
To read more of God’s word
Joshua 1, Hebrews 4
