Intermission

Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT) Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

We know this verse. We have preached this verse. We have counseled others with this verse. We know it... right?

Of course we do, but sometimes that rest seems unattainable.

As leaders, we are especially vulnerable to exhaustion and burnout. We carry the weight of responsibility for others and live much of our lives in public view. Some days we feel incredibly blessed; other days we wonder how much longer we can keep going.

But in this passage, Jesus gives us a key to find rest for our souls.

He begins by addressing those who are weary and burdened. Then He extends an invitation: "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you." Finally, He gives a promise: "You will find rest for your souls."

Notice the wording. Jesus says we will find rest. Finding something means discovering what was there all along, even if we had overlooked it. As we accept His invitation, we begin to experience something that was there all along but beyond our grasp.

The rest Jesus promises here is defined in Strong’s Concordance as an intermission. It is a time to step aside from the pace of life, partner with Him, and be refreshed before continuing what He has called us to do.

What a picture.

When we stop striving and sit with our humble and gentle Savior, we receive a divine intermission for our souls.

"Take my yoke" is an invitation into partnership.

We were never meant to lead alone. When we do, we eventually burn out and often hurt ourselves and others in the process. When we walk in tandem with Jesus, the burden is no longer ours to carry by ourselves. After all, this is His church, not ours.

It is easy to become so focused on ministry that we neglect the One who called us into it. Bible reading becomes sermon preparation. Prayer turns into a task list. Before long we are carrying a yoke that was never ours to bear.

Look at the verse again. Whose yoke is it?

We are not asking Jesus to share our heavy burden. He is inviting us to share His light one. It is a profound privilege to serve alongside Him, rather than just working for Him.

This week let's make room in our day for an intermission. Let's set aside time to simply come to Jesus; not to prepare, produce, or perform, but to be with Him. Let's step out from under the burdens we carry. Accept the invitation of Jesus to take an intermission with Him and let Him refresh our weary soul.

-Stay the course, my friend.