Resting = Obedience To God

Rest = Obedience

Matthew 11:28–30

“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.”

For the longest time, I never truly understood what it meant to rest in the Lord. It felt like a nebulous concept—something my longtime Christian brethren grasped as naturally as breathing. It was explained to me again and again, yet it simply didn’t register.

That is, until tonight—when it finally clicked. Resting is obedience to God.

Resting means following Jesus: obeying His commands, walking in His ways, and going wherever He leads. That is rest.

I have struggled with pride my entire life. Pride in all its forms marked my character, with self-determination and self-reliance at the very top of the list. No wonder I had such a hard time understanding what it meant to rest in the Lord.

The Lord has been breaking me of this false sense of control and shattering these heavy, self-imposed bonds. It has not been pretty. I have resisted and fought like a stubborn mule. But one morning in prayer, I heard the Lord speak to me in His still, small voice: “I am in control.”

Those words were deeply comforting. I realized I didn’t have to struggle anymore. Praise God for His mercy toward me. Much like the breaking of a horse, it was in the act of surrender and I finally found my rest.

When Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light, it is absolutely true. We fight against it, thinking it will restrict us—but it does the opposite. It brings freedom.

First, we rest by faith in Jesus Christ. Then, we rest through obedience to Him. Rest from fear is followed by rest from the burden of relying on ourselves.

Amen. 🕊️✝️

Chris

I am currently using this devotional by Nic M. Saluppo to help me to let go of the false sense of control that I think I have.

If you would like to support us, we do have an affiliate program. By clicking on the image below we will get a small commission if you purchase the book.