Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
August 22, 2023
Matthew 11:25-30
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you’ve hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have shown them to babies. 26 Indeed, Father, this brings you happiness. 27 “My Father has handed all things over to me. No one knows the Son except the Father. And nobody knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wants to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. 30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”
Good Morning; Are you rested when you wake up?
For most adults, it is safe to say that restless nights happen. I certainly have great nights of sleep sometimes, but other nights include moments of being awakened for some reason, such as a noise, a dream, or pain. Once you are awake, do you go right back to sleep? Again this varies with me. If you listen to conversations regarding these events with others, there is much diversity in how we work for a better night’s sleep and what we do when we wake up before it’s “time” to get up.
I’m reminded of Scrooge trying to pass off his unexpected “ghost encounter” as the byproduct of eating a piece of moldy cheese. It is typical to blame our restless nights on foods or drinks from the previous day, but often our restless nights directly result from anxiety or worries.
Even if you fall asleep from exhaustion at a reasonable time, you’re at the mercy of your anxiety to make it through the night. If I tried to list all the worries that presented themselves in the middle of the night, I might need more paper. Some are silly little things like a misplaced item or an email I forgot to send. Others are life events that are causing us despair. Some of my best rest follows the resolution of worries that have caused me to struggle.
Christ offers us a solution to our restless nights. “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.”
“Give me your burdens! 13b He forgave all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14
Jesus does the hard part and accepts our burdens, but we struggle with the letting go part. We say, here, take my burdens, but then we struggle with believing our debt has been paid. Do we go back to the story and try to pay for groceries already bought? In the same way, we must let our faith direct us to the peace that Jesus gives.
Are you ready for a great night’s sleep? 29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. 30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”
Loving God, We thank you! Help us accept the gift that You have given to us. In You, we are born into a new life. We love you! Thank you! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I will share my burdens with Jesus, who offers me comfort and rest.
Come and find rest! Pastor Liz
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