“Come to Me!”
Have you ever had a night when you couldn’t turn your mind off? Many times when we settle down to get some rest, sleep will not come. I see ads everywhere about medicines that are guaranteed to give you a good night’s sleep. Some even purport to be non-habit forming – and non-addictive. I googled “what to do to fall asleep,” and the results were not what I expected.
What I discovered was what I should not do. Stop taking naps during the day. Drink less caffeine or do not work out late in the day. To my surprise, Google said to not look at Facebook or messages late at night. It seemed that if I wanted to rest well, there were all kinds of things “not” to do.
In the Old Testament, God gave us all kinds of rules regarding what not to do on the Sabbath. We were supposed to rest on the Sabbath. The Old Testament says we are not to bake or cook on the Sabbath. We’re not to gather wood, buy or sell or bear burdens. I didn’t know that fried chicken was served any way other than cold when I was growing up. My grandmother thought it was a sin to cook on Sunday, so everything we ate had been prepared the day before. Jesus offered us a new way in the New Testament.
Jesus called the disciples into relationship. “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
There are certain pastimes that can interrupt our sleep and we need to avoid them. In contrast, resting well in Christ has more to do with relationship than regulation. Of course, we should limit caffeine and turn the computer or cell phone off long before bedtime, but the most important thing is to lay our head on the pillow of Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me…”
Prayer – Jesus, I thank you for the rest I receive with you. Jesus is calling us into a relationship with Him and as we enter this relationship, rest comes! Amen.
Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
By: the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: iStock Photos, Vincent Chin, Lucas Andrade & Altinay Dinc, courtesy of Unsplash
