Rest for the Weary Mind - Your Nightly Prayer - October 4
Rest for the Weary Mind
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Nothing makes tomorrow’s problems feel bigger quite like staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night.
Though our room was quiet, the rest of the house was filled with pockets of activity (teenagers and sleep don’t always go together). Yet the hardest thing to get to bed wasn’t my kids, but my mind. My exhausted body had completed everything it could for the day, but my mind still couldn’t rest. My son’s last week at home before we dropped him off at school had me rethinking everything. Had I done enough? What comes next? Is he ready? Are we ready?
I tried to disappear into my bed, hoping that lecturing myself into trusting God would help me relax. It felt like as soon as I began drifting off, I woke up startled by the alarm, disoriented and already assaulted by my lists, projects, worries, and insecurities.
Looking back, even my effort to trust God had become another attempt to get myself and my circumstances under control. However, God is gently loosening my grip. He is helping me see that truly resting means I don’t have to carry as much as I think I do. It has been my bent to believe that rest comes after I finally get everything under control, but Jesus offers rest while we are still carrying things we cannot control.
Your exhaustion may be coming from a different load. It could be a diagnosis, parenting decisions, grief, finances, relationships, regret, unanswered prayer, caring for aging parents, or even just waiting. Or you might be, like me, exhausted because you’ve given too much thought to the thing you can’t do anything about.
Jesus’s words in Matthew 11:28 unearth something so much richer than “calm down” or “Just relax; I’m in control.” Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Notice the first command isn't “rest”. It's come. Jesus does not tell weary people, “Figure everything out and then come see me.” The invitation is to bring the weariness itself to Him and learn from Him how to carry life differently.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for giving me rest through Jesus. I know in my head that because of His work, all of the greatest problems in my world are already solved. And yet my heart has difficulty believing it. I confess all the times I think my control will give me rest. Help me to lean into you for the safety my heart desires. I am weary. Here I am, to rest in You.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. What does Jesus’s invitation in Matthew 11:28–30 teach me about where true rest comes from? Rest is not the reward for finally getting everything under control. Jesus invites weary people, like you and me, to come to Him before anything has been resolved.
2. Is there a way that I am carrying things right now that is making it difficult for me to rest? Ask God to reveal ways in which you’ve learned to carry things yourself. Pray that God will teach you to carry life differently.
3. What is one burden I can consciously bring to Jesus today instead of continuing to rehearse, solve, or control it? Name it specifically in prayer, then ask what faithfulness requires from you today, and leave tomorrow with Him.
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/cyano66
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is https://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalm 68: When God is Bigger Than Your Problems!
What happens when the giants you are facing—whether overwhelmingly massive or seemingly insignificant—trick you into believing God doesn't care about your daily struggles?
Join Jaime on the Praying Christian Women Podcast for an inspiring devotional on Psalm 68, a triumphant and powerful psalm that celebrates the unmatched bigness of God and reminds us that no earthly enemy or obstacle stands a chance against Him. If this episode helps you connect with God through prayer, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
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