Matthew 11:25–30 // Rest for the weary // Denise Petek
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
What a beautiful invitation—and it comes from Jesus Himself.
As I sat down to write this devotional on the day it was due, with another meeting waiting and a long to-do list pressing in, my computer wouldn’t turn on. My phone was ringing. Texts and emails kept popping up. Maybe you’ve had days like that—when everything feels urgent and overwhelming at once. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this verse wasn’t just something I was writing about; it was something Jesus was speaking directly to me.
I had to stop in my tracks and come to Him—the author of the words I was reflecting on. I had to pause and consider what it really means to come to Jesus. To take His yoke. To learn from Him instead of pushing through in my own strength.
Lent is the perfect season for this kind of interruption. As we prepare our hearts to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are invited to slow down and notice our weariness. Beneath faithful routines and busy schedules, many of us are tired in ways that sleep alone cannot fix.
Jesus begins this passage by thanking the Father for revealing truth not to the “wise and learned,” but to little children. Seeing rightly, Jesus tells us, is not about striving harder or knowing more—it is about humility and trust. Children depend. They receive. They rest in the care of another.
Think about childhood. You didn’t worry about paying bills, preparing meals, or keeping life running smoothly. Someone else carried that weight for you. Jesus is inviting us into that same posture with God—not self-sufficient, but humble and dependent.
This raises an important question: What is shaping the way I see God and myself?
Our vision is constantly being formed—by pressure, expectations, guilt, perfectionism, and even our attempts to be faithful. At times, we strive to be good Christians in our own strength, living as though our salvation depends on us. We may believe in grace, yet live as if we must constantly prove our devotion. When faith becomes performance instead of relationship, weariness is the result.
Jesus speaks directly to that exhaustion: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Notice who is invited—not the strong or put-together, but the weary. Weariness is often a sign that we are carrying burdens we were never meant to bear alone.
Jesus does not remove responsibility, but He changes how we carry it. “Take my yoke upon you,” He says, “and learn from me.” A yoke is shared. To take His yoke is to lean on His strength and follow His direction. Jesus describes Himself as gentle and humble—not demanding or harsh, but patient and kind.
The rest Jesus offers is deeper than stopping activity. It is rest from striving, from proving, from trying to earn God’s approval. It is laying down perfection and control. It is receiving forgiveness instead of carrying shame. His burden is light because He is with us.
His invitation remains simple and compassionate: Just come.
Question to Consider:
What am I carrying today that Jesus is inviting me to lay down?
Prayer Prompt:
Ask Him to help you release your striving, and rest in His grace.
