Has the world gotten you down? Do you feel overburdened? Are you seeking relief? Are you looking for victory, even just a small victory? Have you asked for help? Have you asked the right person?
There are times we all grow weary. It seems the entire world is against us. Nothing goes right. Everywhere we turn there is a speed bump, a wall, or one more thing to do. It can grow tiresome. We can get to the point we just want to sit down and cry.
There are some who will tell us we must push through. Others may tell us we have had a run of bad luck. Still others may sit and commiserate with us. Unfortunately, none of these options brings about the true rest we need.
How do we find rest? Where will peace come from? In one word—Jesus. Sounds simple, and it is. Sounds easy, but it is not. The issue at hand is our pride and desire to be in control. On the one hand, we don’t want to admit we need help. Our desire is to take care of things on our own. We like the idea of being a self-made man or woman. We fail to realize no one is self-made. We fall prey to the lie.
We want to control our environment. We choose our friends based on who we meet and similar interests. We choose our career paths based on what we like to do. We choose where we live, for the most part, based on familiarity with the area. What is wrong with these choices?
As we make our choices, we often don’t include God in them. We fail to go to Him and ask where He wants us, what He wants us to do, and who He wants us to develop friendships with. This doesn’t mean we must stop what we are doing to spend several minutes in prayer over every decision, though some decisions require multiple days of praying. No, we are to change our entire mindset so that we are constantly listening for the Holy Spirit and adhering to His guidance. Why is this important?
There is only One who has overcome the world—Jesus. As we believe in Him and lean more on Him, we, too, can overcome the world. His victory becomes our victory. We start by obeying His commands—love God and love our neighbor. It is through our love, a deep abiding love, for God that we are victorious, finding peace and rest.
I pray we all turn to Jesus to find rest. I pray we look to God to provide the peace we desire. I pray each one of us believes in Jesus and have the same mindset. Achieve victory. Find peace. Find rest. Allow God to remove your weariness. Believe in Jesus. Listen for the Holy Spirit.
1 John 5:3-5 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Marty Pressey 