Come to Me

09/12/2026

There are days when you wake up already tired. Not just physically tired, although that can certainly be part of it, but tired from carrying things. A decision you haven’t figured out. Someone you’re worried about. A situation you can’t fix. A prayer that still doesn’t have an answer. Sometimes the heaviest things we carry are the things nobody else can see. And Jesus speaks directly to people like us.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
- Matthew 11:28 ESV

I love how personal Jesus makes this.

He doesn’t say, “Come to a better philosophy.” He doesn’t say, “Get yourself together first.”
He doesn’t even say, “Come when you’ve figured out why you’re so tired.”

He simply says, “Come to me.”

That matters because sometimes we want Jesus to give us a solution when what He first offers us is Himself.

And there’s some important context here. Jesus continues:

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”   - Matthew 11:29–30 ESV

So when Jesus promises rest, He isn’t promising a life without responsibility. A yoke was something used for work. Jesus isn’t saying, “Come to Me and you’ll never carry anything again.”

He’s saying, “You don’t have to carry life the way you’ve been carrying it.”

There’s a difference.

Some of us are exhausted because we’re carrying tomorrow today. We’re carrying other people’s decisions. We’re carrying outcomes we cannot control. We’re carrying expectations God never placed on us. We’re carrying guilt from something Jesus has already forgiven.

And sometimes we’re carrying the responsibility of trying to make everything turn out the way we think it should.

That will wear you out.

Think about carrying several grocery bags into the house. You could make two trips, but nobody wants to make two trips. So you hook three bags on one hand, four on the other, something under your arm, and you’re trying to close the car door with your foot.

Why?

Because apparently making a second trip would be admitting defeat.

We laugh about that, but spiritually we do the same thing.

We keep picking things up.

“I’ve got it.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“I’ll figure this out.”

“I’ll make this work.”

And eventually our hands are full, our hearts are heavy, and we wonder why we’re exhausted.

Jesus says, “Come to me.”

Notice He doesn’t say, “Come to Me once you put everything down.”

You come carrying it. You bring the worry. You bring the disappointment. You bring the unanswered question. You bring the fear. You bring the thing you haven’t told anybody else. You bring the situation that has been waking you up at 2:00 in the morning.

And somewhere in that coming, we begin learning the difference between what Jesus has actually asked us to carry and what we picked up ourselves.

That’s where rest begins.

Not necessarily when the circumstances change.

Not when the doctor finally calls. Not when the relationship gets fixed. Not when the financial pressure disappears Not when you finally know what happens next.

Rest begins when the weight changes hands.

Maybe that’s what somebody needs today.

You’ve prayed about something, but if you’re truthful, you’re still carrying it.

You gave it to God Tuesday and picked it back up Wednesday morning.

I understand that. Most of us do.

Surrender sometimes has to happen more than once because our hands have a way of reaching back for what we gave God yesterday.

So maybe today isn’t about solving everything.

Maybe today is about coming back to Jesus and saying:

“Lord, I’m carrying something You never asked me to carry alone.”

Then trust Him enough to loosen your grip.

Jesus never promised you would never become tired.

But He did promise there is a place for tired people.

And that place is close to Him.

Action Steps

* Name what is heavy. Instead of saying, “I’m stressed,” identify specifically what you’re carrying.
* Ask whether it actually belongs to you. Is there something you can faithfully do today? Do that. If the outcome belongs to God, stop trying to control it.
* Come back when you pick it up again. Don’t turn surrender into another thing you have to do perfectly. When worry returns, give it back to Jesus again.

Challenge for the Day

Before you go to bed tonight, identify one burden you’ve been carrying that belongs in Jesus’ hands. Tell Him specifically what it is, do whatever obedience requires of you, and leave the outcome with Him.

Prayer

Jesus, I’m tired of carrying things You never asked me to carry alone. Show me what belongs to me and what I need to release to You. Teach me to trust You with the things I cannot control. Today, I come to You with everything that feels heavy. Give me the rest that only You can give. Amen.

Pastor Jeff

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