“Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Often times believers will recite this passage to themselves or to others when they feel like they just can’t catch a break in life. Jesus definitely said these words to us to give us comfort and ease our hearts, but how many of us truly know what it means to receive Jesus’ rest, or even how to receive it?

Well, the first step is simple. All it entails is coming to him. And by coming to the Savior, as he so lovingly encourages us to, we are obeying him.

Obedience is the #1 method to receiving God’s rest. On the other hand, disobedience and straying from God’s word are what keeps us out of his rest.

The Israelites were kept out of God’s rest, the Promised Land, because of their blatant disregard for God. They were idolaters, they were sexually immoral, their hearts were hardened, and they had unbelief in the mighty works that God had graciously performed for them. Because of this, God swore that they would not enter His rest (Heb 3:11) and they were left wandering in the wilderness for forty years.

Maybe you feel you are in a place of “wandering,” or “wilderness,” in your own life. Maybe you’ve been feeling unfulfilled in your job, or in school, or in your relationships with others and you just don’t know where your place is in the world. Or, maybe your spiritual life is dry and you can’t hear or discern the voice of God or feel His love or presence. Regardless of what or where our “wilderness,” is, our rest is always found somewhere that is constant---in Him and His Word.

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.” -Hebrews 4:11

Upon a very brief reading of this passage, the juxtaposition of these two verses could almost seem incoherent. But if we examine them closely, we will come to realize the message that God is giving us through His Holy Spirit, which is this: Rest comes through obedience, comes through studying the Word of God. It is formulaic.

When we actively study the Word of God we learn Who God is and what He says. We learn how He speaks, what He sounds like, what He thinks of us, and How He loves us. And, as it says in John 14:26, the Spirit of God is here to help us and will teach us all things. When we come before God to seek Him in His Word, His Spirit guides us in the understanding of it all. This is what brings scripture to life! God’s Spirit is living and so His Word also lives. This means that the Word of God has power---even enough power to give rest to a weary or troubled heart!

I recall three weeks ago when school was really consuming me. From editing late nights in my school’s video lab to writing research pieces for publications, I was lucky if I got in bed before 4am each night. I was drained, I was sleep deprived and my body was beginning to feel it. I literally did not have rest. Then one day I showed up to my night class early and prayed to God. All I said to Him was, “God, I do not have peace.” People would come up to me and say that I looked stressed but I knew that this was not simply stress. This was a lack of peace. So I told that to God and expressed to Him my desire for peace.

Before I had prayed these things, I received a text message a few hours earlier from a church that I had decided to read. It contained an excerpt from Philippians 4. I read the excerpt and proceeded to read the entire chapter of Philippians 4. And then I came to this:

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:7

I was astonished! Who is this God that I serve? I had asked for peace and He led me to His peace in His Living Word. In that moment I was overwhelmed with peace. I could think clearly, my mind wasn’t cluttered with any high-thought traffic---which I have been battling for nearly a year---and I could hear His voice. In that moment I had entered His rest, and I’ve been in it ever since.

Thank you, Jesus.

If you’ve been struggling to find peace in any aspect of your life, I encourage you to find your rest in God and His Living Word. He is waiting to give it to you! If you hear His voice today, do not harden your heart. (Heb 4:7) Instead, welcome Him in and receive Him with joy! All He wants is what’s best for you and He knows exactly what that is because He created you! He knows that the safest place for you is in His rest, so I urge you to enter it today.