“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
Imagine for a moment that you’re sitting in a deck chair at a riverside cabin. It’s late in the afternoon, and the water is smooth and tranquil in this stretch of river. There’s no noise of traffic or even airplanes overhead. The only sounds are birdsongs, the whisper of the breeze in the branches of nearby trees, and an occasional fish jumping. From time to time you see wildlife at the water’s edge: herons, deer, red-winged blackbirds.
Occasionally a boat passes by on the water. You can hear the motorboats coming for a few minutes before they appear, their engines slowly growing louder until they finally come around the bend, sometimes coming upstream, sometimes going downstream. The people wave if they notice you there. The person at the tiller is watching ahead, steering carefully. They quickly pass out of sight. As the sound of the motor fades, the wake from their boat sloshes at the dock.
Other boats, canoes and kayaks and drift boats, are so quiet that you’ll know they’re coming only if the people are talking or laughing. They are almost always drifting downstream, gliding with the current. The people may be fishing. And they are apt to be silent, looking around, drinking in all that they see. If you happen to be reading when they pass by, you might not notice them at all.
Both types of boats have their uses. If someone were lost or injured and needed help, you’d want the motorboat for sure. A lot of our time is spent zipping along like that motorboat. But when we need renewal, the canoe quietly gliding downstream is just the ticket.
We can seek similar renewal in prayer and meditation. The current of the Living Water carries us as we rest. We listen. He reminds us of His love for us. He soothes our fractious minds and binds up our wounded and weary hearts. He gives us rest.