Tired?

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

Are you tired today?  Maybe you are physically tired, just exhausted.  Sometimes we need a vacation from the vacation.  I think this is the easiest way to be tired.  I usually am physically tired just from not sleeping well enough or enough.  It seems to be so much worse to be emotionally tired.  Or to be tired of some problem that just exists, it neither gets worse or better, or it is getting better but not fast enough (darn that whole perseverance builds patience thing).

Jesus puts the answer very simply - “Come to me”.  If you are tired, go to Him “and I will give you rest”.  What’s that problem or burden you have?  Take it to Jesus and He will give you rest.  Stop carrying it.  I find that I can go to the alter, lay it upon His feet while I pray and feel immensely better in that time, but then I pick it back up when I get up and leave the alter.  Why do I do that?  Do I not trust Jesus with my burden?  I think I do.  It is just so hard to let it go I guess.  If only I could be as a child and come to Jesus completely open hearted, giving all for Him to enjoy, even the burdens.

²⁸ Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable.  ²⁹ He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.  ³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, ³¹ but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:28-31

God never gets tired.  As an engineer it only makes logical sense that I’d give my burdens to Him since He can work on them all night and all day, but even more, as the controller of time He can stop time and work on them or go back in time and change them.  The Lord can also change any aspect or condition of the burden that I can’t possibly know can be or should be done.  Only a fool would not give his problems to God.  Unfortunately, I am that fool too often.

But, if we do give it to Him, He provides strength to our tired and weary selves.  I think just not carrying the burden provides strength, but God says He gives power, increases strength, renews strength, … IF we wait or hope on Him.  We trust Him with it; we know He will do His will and it is best; we have faith that He has it; and we declare that unless He handles it, it is impossible so that we can praise His name for His deliverance.