I’m sure that one of the reasons for emotional stress and physical exhaustion is that people rush through life, not finding time to be alone with God. They ignore the need to rest and communicate with God, and as a result they lose a clear perception of the surrounding reality. The desire to do a lot and to do it quickly, depletes. They lose sight of the main goal and are no longer able to objectively assess their situation.
WHAT’S YOUR PACE OF LIFE?
I know what it’s like to live at a fast pace every day. When you move at this speed, your adrenaline is pumping so it’s hard to slow down or stop in order to finally rest a bit. And even when you force yourself to sit down, your thoughts continue to race from one thing to another. This pace of life creates great trouble for us. We have a lot to do — work, family, church, friends — and these commitments pile up more and more. But soon we are of little use to anyone because we continue to do too much too quickly.
In the end, we get sick. We are on the verge of a nervous breakdown. We do a poor job because we are too tired and can no longer do what we need to. We know we are not doing as well as we could under other circumstances, so we feel remorseful and begin to condemn ourselves.
Let’s acknowledge the fact that it is very difficult to do many things at once. With endurance, you can hold out for some time. But after a while you’ll start to miss important details, forget what you said, miss meetings, become disordered in your financial affairs, and feel emotionally overwhelmed because you’ve pushed yourself beyond your limitations. Slow down your pace of life and take time to communicate with God.
AN INVITATION FOR THE WEARY
I must admit, I have also done too much too fast. At times I’ve felt like I was racing at full speed. And it’s not that I just wanted to do everything right; I had to move forward and keep up with my schedule. If I lag behind in some way, it slows down the work of our whole ministry team. In order for all of our employees to do their jobs well, I have to do everything on time every day. But when I get very tired, I hear Jesus say to me:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
The word “come” in this verse is the Greek word deute, an invitation that means Come here! I invite you to come to Me! Jesus joyfully invites us to come to Him. He invites all those who work and are weary to come to Him.
The word “weary” is the Greek word kopiao, which describes a person who is exhausted by continuous labor. Perhaps this person has many responsibilities and is trying to fulfill them all at a high, professional level. In order to accomplish so many things, he has to work hard constantly. But Jesus invites him to come to Him. He invites not only those who work hard but also those who are burdened.
The word “burdened” is the Greek word phortidzo, which describes a person who bears a very heavy load. This burden may be work, family, a financial situation or any other personal problem.
But whatever the situation is, Jesus asks the burdened person to come to Him. Everyone who accepts this invitation, He will give rest. The word “rest” is the Greek word anapauo, which translates to refresh, restore strength or revitalize. Jesus wants to refresh and strengthen us so that we can continue to do our work and bear fruit.
JESUS IS WAITING FOR US
The only way to remain productive is to spend time with the Lord. But to enter into His presence, we must calm down, move away from the hustle and bustle, find a secluded place where no one will disturb us and worship God, pray, and read the Word.
This is the only way to calm your soul and hear what God is saying to you. Do not be mistaken thinking it’s enough to spend five minutes alone with God. We must regularly set aside time for personal fellowship with God.
OUR TRUE SOURCE OF STRENGTH
Do not come to the Lord hastily or seek to leave immediately. Stay with Him as long as possible. When you learn to rest in His presence, you will receive strength and be refreshed. Do not leave until you are strong. Stay in God’s presence for as long as you can. Hold on and let the Holy Spirit give you what you need.
In God’s presence you will always find peace, rest and protection. Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Notice Jesus did not say that He will come to you. He said that it was you who should come to Him. And if you decide to come to the Lord, He will give you rest just as He promised. This is how you can stay strong, keep up with your schedule and be faithful to all your responsibilities.
PRECIOUS TIME WITH THE LORD
I assure you that if you devote more time to God, He will help you figure out whether you did the right thing by taking these responsibilities upon yourself or if you need to let go of some of them.
Communicating with the Lord is vital for your life. So come into God’s presence and let the Holy Spirit strengthen you and bring you rest. You will come alive! You will feel a surge of energy and vitality, and you will be able to do anything that is set before you.