Come unto me
The Christian life isn't a series of correspondence courses.
A young man decided he wanted to be a boxer, so he decided to take private lessons. He found a boxing coach at a nearby gym who agreed to give him twenty-six weekly sessions. As part of his instruction, the young man was required to spar with other aspiring boxers at the gym.
After the first session, he was sore and swollen. He didn’t realize that it would be this difficult. The battered youth had some questions for his coach.
“You say there are twenty-six lessons in this course?”
“That’s right,” answered the teacher.
“And the rest of them are going to be like today?”
“That’s right,” the coach replied.
Scratching his head, the student asked, “Well, sir, I was wondering if I could take the other twenty-five lessons by correspondence?”
Sometimes we all need rest. We experience times of hard work and spiritual intensity, and then there are times of resting. The verses today show that Elijah needed the rest of the Lord. First Kings 19:5 says, “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.” Elijah was spiritually depleted, physically exhausted, and mentally tired. Right at the time of Elijah’s need, God sent help.
Aren’t you glad to have a God who knows your needs and helps you? When you need rest and spiritual encouragement, the Holy Spirit is there to comfort you. God comes to you in your difficulty, offering help for your need.
Even when Elijah was ready to quit, God sustained him. God told him, “Just hang in there. Have something to eat. Take time to rest. I want to use you once again to get My message to My people.” Even so, when you feel like quitting or giving up, God is there. When you face physical exhaustion or spiritual fatigue, God comes alongside you and says, “I know you’ve labored hard for Me. Now I want to strengthen you through a time of rest. Come to Me, and let Me give you that rest.”
Do you have days where it seems as though you are getting beaten up and knocked down constantly? You may grow weary and not feel like pressing on at times. It happens to all of us! Our human bodies will wear down and grow tired, but it is in those times that God wants to come alongside you and sustain you. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Are you going through your life, physically worn down and spiritually exhausted? These times come into all our lives. Yet during these times, God wants to strengthen you. He wants you to come to Him, lay down the burdens you are bearing, and let Him give you rest.
Source: dailyintheword.org, March 10, 2008