“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28 KJV).
There is a rest to the people of God. Oftentimes, I talk to people who are born again, are filled with the Holy Spirit, and who truly love God, but don’t operate in the rest of God. Their life is still being dominated to the point of losing sleep.
They are dominated by fear and worry so much so that it affects their life and their interaction with others. The scripture tells us, however, that there remains a rest to the people of God.
God has provided a place of rest on this planet for believers. We’re not talking about heaven. We’re talking about while you’re dealing with the tests, trials, and tribulations here on earth.
One of the definitions for rest is causing to cease. Another definition for the word rest is a sabbatical. For example, a man works six days and on the Sabbath he rests his body and spends time with God. Therefore, one of the types of rest is fellowship with God.
There is a place of rest for the people of God whereby even though you are in the midst of trouble you can find a place of rest. You may be in the midst of pressure, or you may be in the midst of difficult situations. Either way, I have good news for you: there is a rest available for you whereby you don’t have to be affected by what’s going on outwardly.
In this lesson, we’re not talking about a rest from work. But we’re talking about a rest in work. Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden and I’ll give you rest.” Verse 29 says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.” The word yoke here doesn’t mean what it means in Isaiah chapter 10 where it said that the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. The word yoke here means to follow the teaching of a teacher.
In other words, if you will learn of Jesus, find his teachings and follow his teachings, then you will find that there will be rest available for you in His word. When you take on the yoke of an Old Testament Hebrew teacher, you were accepting his teaching and you became his pupil. Jesus is saying, become my pupil, and you’ll find rest unto your souls.
Scripture References: Matthew 11:29-30; Hebrews 4:9
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).