Advent Devotional: Make Room for JesusSample

Day 10: Make Room for Peace

Life can feel extremely heavy at times. Pain, sin and brokenness seem to be around every corner. The weight of it all can feel overwhelming… like it’s just too much to bear. With all of those burdens weighing heavy on our hearts, our peace can get hijacked. But Jesus wants to give us the gift of rest. He invites us to come to him and rest and place those burdens on Him. He desires for us to experience peace through resting in His promises. In fact, Jesus spoke of this very thing in Matthew.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

The word “rest” in this passage is translated as “an opportunity to cease movement in order to recover, refresh and collect strength”. It's a non-negotiable for God. He WANTS us to come to Him. He deeply desires for us to hand over our burdens to Him and trust that He is able to take care of us. He promises He can carry them no matter how big the burden. Following Jesus doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble. It just means the weight of trouble will be lighter because we can trust Jesus to help us through it. Give him the reigns of your life. He can be trusted.

Reflect:

• How does resting in God’s presence lead to peace?
• Why is it important to hand over control to God in our everyday lives?
• What is one practical way you can rest in God today?

Pray:

Name an area of your life right now that is causing unrest. Say it out loud and tell God what you are wrestling through. He is not afraid of the chaos. Come to him and rest in his presence. Remove all distractions and spend some time handing him your burdens. He can handle them.