In his 1828 dictionary, Noah Webster offers this definition of rest: Quiet; repose; a state free from motion or disturbance; a state of reconciliation to God. He then gives Matthew 11:28 as a reference to further explain.
“Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
The Greek word for rest used here is anapauo (pronounced an-uh-pow-oh). It means to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labor in order to recover and collect his strength; to give one’s self rest; to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation.
Jesus is extending an invitation for us to come and bring to Him our cares, worries, stresses, burdens – all the things we think we have to carry – and hand them over to Him. In exchange, He says, “I am giving you permission to stop what you are doing right now and come here. Let Me hold you for a few minutes. You don’t have to say anything. Just rest in My arms. Take a deep breath in and slowly breathe it out. Here. Put your head against my chest. Close your eyes and listen. Do you hear that? Hear how slow and steady My heartbeat is? Just rest here until your breathing matches Mine, until your heartbeat is in sync with Mine. Now, open your eyes. Let’s continue walking together and I will carry what you brought in with you. Come on, let’s go.”
Pray this prayer …
Father, thank You for Your deep love for me and for Your desire to draw me into closeness with You. I come to You today with many things on my mind and in my heart. You see all the things that worry me, weigh on me and cause stress in my life, specifically _____________ (name them). Today I am bringing all these things to you and I lay them in Your hands (symbolically give them to Him). I choose rest. I receive the rest You promise in Your word. I receive Your permission to stop and quiet my spirit and my mind before You, to take a few moments here to recover and receive your strength to continue on hand-in-hand with You. You alone are my strength, my peace and my joy and in You I find rest. I love You, Jesus. Amen.
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